Wednesday, September 07, 2005
you wonder why your life sucks
Anti: "It's the Drugs"
Anti: "Fill Me Up Put Me Down"
I know next to nothing about Anti. I'd never even heard of him until the last half hour. According to this post at ILM, he's a reclusive headbanger from Martha's Vineyard who's been making cd-rs for a few years now, using nothing but a bass and his voice. I think a lot of folks would be quick to call this outsider music (a term I generally dislike), but I'd have to disagree. I guess there's some Jandek in the presentation, and the vocals remind me slightly of Steve Gigante from the excellent Dark Inside the Sun, but I wouldn't call either of them outsiders, either. Both are idiosyncratic, sure, but neither of them possess the disability of a Wesley Willis or the incompetence of the Shaggs, and I don't think the person behind Anti does, either. Again, I've got no idea who that person could be, but this article seems to indicate that, as of June 2004, he was a high school student. Of course, there could be two Anti's from Martha's Vineyard, with ties to Aboveground Records, but I sort of doubt it. And Anti's rage is pretty teenagerly, for sure. Anyway, all I've got to say about "It's the Drugs" is that it's one of the best songs I've heard all year. It's heart's in the right place, you know? And "Fill Me Up Put Me Down" is pure misunderstood teen bile. I can't tell how much of this is serious, how much of it is some sort of deconstruction of heavy metal motifs, or what, but for the most part Anti seems pretty excellent. Scott Seward, the ILM'er referenced above, has put an entire album by Anti up at this here website. I recommend it, for sure.
Anti: "It's the Drugs"
Anti: "Fill Me Up Put Me Down"
I know next to nothing about Anti. I'd never even heard of him until the last half hour. According to this post at ILM, he's a reclusive headbanger from Martha's Vineyard who's been making cd-rs for a few years now, using nothing but a bass and his voice. I think a lot of folks would be quick to call this outsider music (a term I generally dislike), but I'd have to disagree. I guess there's some Jandek in the presentation, and the vocals remind me slightly of Steve Gigante from the excellent Dark Inside the Sun, but I wouldn't call either of them outsiders, either. Both are idiosyncratic, sure, but neither of them possess the disability of a Wesley Willis or the incompetence of the Shaggs, and I don't think the person behind Anti does, either. Again, I've got no idea who that person could be, but this article seems to indicate that, as of June 2004, he was a high school student. Of course, there could be two Anti's from Martha's Vineyard, with ties to Aboveground Records, but I sort of doubt it. And Anti's rage is pretty teenagerly, for sure. Anyway, all I've got to say about "It's the Drugs" is that it's one of the best songs I've heard all year. It's heart's in the right place, you know? And "Fill Me Up Put Me Down" is pure misunderstood teen bile. I can't tell how much of this is serious, how much of it is some sort of deconstruction of heavy metal motifs, or what, but for the most part Anti seems pretty excellent. Scott Seward, the ILM'er referenced above, has put an entire album by Anti up at this here website. I recommend it, for sure.
