The people who Rule Britannia go to Eton. The people who Rule The World go to Institut Le Rosney. But the people who really matter – such as Oscar-winners Nicholas Cage and Richard Dreyfus, Emmy-winners Lenny Kravitz and André Previn, and Fellator-in-Chief Monica Lewisnky – are past pupils of Beverly Hills High School. When Ariel Pink was a student of Beverley Hills High School he was a Goth. In US High Schools, Goths either tire of the slings and barbs of outrageous fortune and take Grandma’s Uzi to school, or else they decide to share their misery with the world by making music. So Ariel Pink’s new single ‘Round and Round’ is probably the lesser of two evils.
My researcher tell me that Ariel Pink’s influences are freak folk – which is not a type of people – and the ’lo-fi’ style of sound recording. Unfortunately, ‘Round and Round’ was not recorded in ‘lo-fi’, so the limitations of the musician and the music are, I fear, sadly obvious. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the single is the artwork, but I won’t spoil the surprise!
I don’t like Ariel Pink. I don’t like his band, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffitti. And I don’t like this single. But I do admire Ariel Pink. He understands that he makes music that not even his mother would pretend to like. He knows that his music will never make him rich or famous. But he’s not afraid to be different. And for that, he deserves the thanks of a grateful nation.
Release Date 26/04/2010 (4AD)
