Beloved renegade Ariel Pink has graced us with his genius once again on his new tornado of a single, "Time To Live". The track is off his upcoming album Dedicated to Bobby Jameson, which is set to come out on September 15 on Mexican Summer.
Pink is the mad scientist of alternative rock, infusing conventional ingredients with esoteric ones and turning them into twisted masterpieces that coat you in familiarity like a warm fuzzy sweater. The song repeats "time to live, time for life" until it becomes a mantra, only to turn it into "time to live, time to die" by its conclusion. Both statements send a message of strength, the second acknowledging one of the darkest realities of being a person and facing up to it.
Pink's distorted vocals gyrate around a bouncy bass line, a particularly punchy beat, and chaotic guitars that are later accompanied by a brass section. The only "verse" in the song sounds exactly like the verses from "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles (a formidable song, thank you Ariel for helping me re-discover it), which may or may not have been a conscious choice, but knowing Rosenberg's affinity for all things past and the fact that the synths in that song sound just like his, I'm leaning towards the former. The track builds and unfurls throughout, a beautiful mess that has fully harnessed its power and can rein itself in and out. Then it all hastily fades into a soft and aqueous synth trail that is like the ginger to your sushi, cleansing your palette for whatever is to come next. I for one can't wait.
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