Being Dead's newest album 'EELS' is a Vimeo-age trackshot, engrossed in the secret lives of characters the band create.
Photo: Athen Smith | Words: Elida Silvey
This collection from the seemingly unclassifiable trio Being Dead, known individually as Falcon Bitch, Gumball and Ricky Moto. is set to release September 27th on Bayonet Records. Serving us up a severe case of sarcasm, 'EELS' pulls the listener in with their playful storytelling. With each dip of the toe into a new tempo, tradition or makeshift fever dream, Being Dead reclassify narrative.
In 'Van Goes' the band play an interesting sample from an internet video, surely extracted from deep in the recesses of our host brain: youtube.dot.com. "I'm not gonna be traumatised cos you wanna be dumb!" the voice says. Before the listener gets too settled into the world they've introduced, Being Dead switch the environment with an interlude reminiscent of the B52's. From there the album descends into the kind of madness that can only be brought by middle-American boredom.
"I've got no more time to waste", they exclaim later in the song, the underlying implication being why not have a bit of fun? 'EELS' asks us to get off our dreaded doom scroll and imagine. Hawaiian shirts and Lana Del Rey printed tees pull up to the BBQ in the romantic interlude of 'Blanket of my Bone', which mystifies melody into fragments culled from some of Indie's greatest subgenres and their related internet-cultures.
The band reaffirm their internet obsession, and my own for that matter, with the brilliantly placed shock-noise of any and ALL reality TV shows in their song, 'Rock n' Roll Hurts'. Being Dead act like a sonic Vimeo of the mind, delivering character profiles and coordinates within each song and across the entirety of 'EELS'.
In standout track, 'Problems', a baroque organ peeks from behind a waterfall of synths, simulating distance and disassociation. This serves to accentuate their lyrics, which summon the listener's overwhelming urge for escapism. The fantasy collides with our own reality. A flute closes that thought out like hitting x on the fiftieth tab, only for another to take its place.
'Dragons II' lulls our cursors back into frame with a sincere tune that melts into the gentle pastures of their next song, and one of my favourites, 'Nightvision'. Featuring a tender vocal, Being Dead localize 'EELS', making a nod to their home-state, Texas, and its proximity to the border in the beat break punctuating on 'Nightvision', reminiscent of rancheras' own trumpet stutter. 'Goodnight' drags the listener under, 'Ballerina' uplifts, the listener oscillates through the scaffolding of stories, recollection induced by slow guitar, dragging drumbeats and witty lyricism.
This album is mystical. It is tethered to the reality of the listeners' present while remaining rooted in the secret lives of the characters that the band create. Being Dead summon spirits, go on kids, visit the deceased.
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