Ariel Pink – Dedicated To Bobby Jameson (2017, Mexican Summer)

Ariel Pink – Dedicated To Bobby Jameson (2017, Mexican Summer)

Ariel Pink’s new album is dedicated to Bobby Jameson, an outlandish 60s pop figure who released music under strange disguises to trick consumers into thinking he was a freshly-emerging talent. Pink works under a similar artistic concept, forming a pseudonym that complements the warped demeanor of his music. Dedicated to Bobby Jameson is Pink’s sharpest, most profound effort in years, and manages to conserve the inherent charisma that kept his intentionally unappealing persona so enticing. The record’s intimate ambience channels David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust—a cautionary anecdote about wasted potential, materialized through gothic pop songs about the bitter trappings of fame. After the glam-infused glitter-bomb that was his last album, Pom Pom—an album teeming with infomercial jingles, millennial-obsessed balladry and a healthy appreciation for 80s VCR culture—Bobby Jameson feels like an artist retreating from the pains of everyday life, waiting to emerge anew.

Trail track: “Feels Like Heaven”

8.7/10

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