Exclusive Pop & Hiss Premiere: Nobody, ‘Sleep For Daze’ MP3
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Jay-Z’s epitaph to auto-tune never made it to Nobody, the venerable local producer, DJ and, now, singer-songwriter. One can interpret this only as a good thing. Granted, the addiction to artificial vocals endemic in contemporary urban music mostly breeds limp party music, but when properly employed it’s capable of conveying a sense of robotic alienation and poignancy.
Thankfully, “Sleep for Daze,” the first single from Nobody’s “One for All Without Hesitation,” channels the darker side of the studio tool, allowing the erstwhile Elvin Esela to project a bombed-out and blunted despondency.
Sounding like an “808s & Heartbreak”-era Kanye West doing a cover of a Free the Robots song, the cumulative effect makes you think of the first line from Craig Mack’s “Flava’ in Ya Ear”: “That ol’ robotic futuristic George Jetson, crazy joint.”
Over a bedrock of martial drums, Nobody displays a fully formed knack for composition, dividing the song into mini-suites filled with slashing distorted guitars and vocals that sound bathed in battery acid. The refrain, “I don’t care how long it takes... as long as you hear me,” splits the difference between sad and sinister -- something like an industrial analogue to Darkstar’s “Aidy’s Girl Is a Computer.”
Slated for release on Delicious Vinyl (Alpha Pup is handling digital distribution), the album breaks new ground for Nobody, who has previously worked with collaborative vocalists including Jimmy Tamborello (Postal Service/Dntel), Freestyle Fellowship and Mia Doi Todd. One of the four DJ residents at Low End Theory, the forthcoming all auto-tune album will be Estela’s first full-length since 2006’s “And Everything Else.” Your move, Jay-Z.
Download: (Pop & Hiss Premiere)
MP3: Nobody -- “Sleep for Daze”
Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by the Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.