Garrincha & The Stolen Elk Life Is Wasted On The Living

This is an album about death. More precisely, it's about dying and the realization of one's mortality. Even more precisely, it's about all the worrying thoughts and emotions that smack you in the face in light of this realization: nostalgia, regret, legacy, a vague nagging urgency & the eternal quest to find meaning in any of it. Garrincha & The Stolen Elk wrap these heavy themes in a strange brew of 21st century post-everything music—drones & processed field recordings nestle snuggly against synths, electronics & guitars that shift from plaintively melodic to heavy headbanging to freak psych-out. Voices play a central role in this music, sometimes through vocals but moreso via samples and musique concrete pieces. A wide range of influences somehow meld into an organic & unique sound; after all, who else marries a throbbing Wolf Eyes-like beat to new age stylings as on the centerpiece track, "Wait Think Fast"? G&SE, that's who. Just one example of the abundant aural alchemy found on this stellar album. Mastered by James Plotkin.