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a.P.A.t.T. — We
(Dur et Doux no#, 2023, LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2023-07-29

We Cover art

Since this is the first release by a.P.A.t.T. we’ve covered here at Exposé, I would normally start out with a bit of history for the artist, but in this case it’s too convoluted to go into — feel free to search and read about it yourself if you’re interested. I’ll just say the group is a collective of artists in various media with a reputation for absurdity and pseudonyms, and leave it at that. On We, there are contributions on drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, woodwinds, violins, and vocals, along with other noisemakers, both acoustic and electronic. Quite a few different individuals are involved in composition and lead vocals. Stylistically, there’s a considerable amount of variety (though perhaps less than on some of their previous releases), and the broad label Art Rock is probably best. Many of the songs are melodically catchy in quirky ways, and hints of nearly any style can be found at various times. “The Great Attractor” is a bit like progressive rock; “Porca” is a kind of warped European folk song; “Solipsism” reminds me a bit of Samla Mammas Manna; “Cigarettes and Margarine” resembles an 80s synthpop song run through a series of funhouse mirrors; and so on, from Bonzo Dog Band crooning to death metal. I’ve checked out some of the band’s previous music, and as hard as it may be to believe, We is their most coherent musical statement to date. It’s a highly entertaining and even thought-provoking album, and something I would recommend to anyone who says that there’s nothing new or interesting in current music. If you’re looking for something well off the beaten path, check out what General MIDI, Bossa Nova, Boss DR-5, Private Dancer, Empress Play, Ana Crucis, and the rest have on offer.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): a.P.A.t.T.

More info
http://apatt.bandcamp.com/album/we

 

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