Brainiac are the pinnacle of synth-punk. It slightly disgusts me that Ben Gibbard claims they have heavily influenced him, but sometimes musical progeny is far from prodigious (See: Death Cab for Cutie)*. It fails to detract from a sublime entanglement of blunted guitar riffs, Moogs, vocoders and choice samples. Brainiac have the dissonant and jarring traits of harcore, whilst managing to incorporate the melodious nature of pop. Hardcore pop. Hardcore pop anchored by one of the most inventive and versatile vocalists of recent years. Tim Taylor is superlative in his ability to revert seamlessly from choked whispers to inward screams to husky, curdled yells, to Elvis impersonations, to falsetto, to something more tuneful altogether. The band disbanded in 1997 after Taylor was killed in a car accident, but their legacy consists of three delectable albums (in particular “Bonsai Superstar”), a highly influential electronic-based EP “Electro-Shock for President” and a deluge of rarities, from tributes to Pere Ubu to spilt 7”s with Bratmobile.
Day eighteen is a song you wish you heard on the radio.
Brainiac- Juicy (On a Cadillac) by peesmith
I’ve never heard Brainiac on the radio, but I imagine if I ever did, it’d induce a kind of feeling matched by the time they started playing “Gold Soundz” in Whelans, though not accompanied by the crushing despair when they stopped playing “Gold Soundz” after seven seconds.
* this blog is fast becoming one massive shit upon the heads of Death Cab
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