Ariel Pink
Worn Copy

Ariel Pink's 'Worn Copy' isn't something that you should really listen to when feeling fragile. It's a hazy, strange and twisted little journey into retro psychedelia and skewed free-form songwriting - everything about it sounds slightly wrong, as if it's on an old tape that keeps speeding up and slowing down, warped and stoned and unstoppably fucked up. But not in that gorgeous, graceful My Bloody Valentine kind of way, more like the band's batteries are in danger of running down... you can imagine them slowing down in the practice room until eventually the music grinds to a halt and they are frozen like statues.

It's kinda unique. Lo-fi? No-fi. Tape hiss, out of tune jamming, weirdo mumbling, creepy beeping and sleepy dancing. It could be a time warp, back to some 4am acid party with lava lamps and loads of people doing free love on beanbags in a New York loft. I'd imagine a lot of people will hate this self indulgent hippy-shit, but I quite like it - I like the pungent haze of freak-ness that oozes out of the speakers when it's playing. I haven't been able to get through the whole record in one sitting yet though. Maybe I need to detune my head some more first - where's that dial again?