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Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourelf

I am listening to the last album that Telefon Tel Aviv will ever release. If you didn't hear, and I surmise that you're not into intelligent electronic music and therefore not fully aware, one of the members, Charles Cooper, committed suicide in early 2009. Cooper met his end just two days before the date of release of the group's final album. I would tend to classify TTAv as IDM, and I venture that many others would agree. Though I've never felt that they quite fit into the Drill N' Bass subgenera typified by other IDM artists like Aphex Twin or Squarepusher. They always seemed to tend toward a more ambient culture. Their second album Map of What is Effortless even had the feeling of an Electronica record more than an ambient IDM record. On Immolate Yourself the duo bridge the gap a bit.

I come from a rock world so I could compare it to Shoegaze like Slowdive, or My Bloody Valentine, or even some of the later downtempo electronica such as M83. The elements of Introverted electronic programming that were at the forefront on their debut album Fahrenheit Fair Enough have returned, but the vocals, though not by guest artist, from their sophomore release are present in every track. This particular iteration of electronica meets intelligent dance music just fucking works for me. The subtle beats of ambience, and the very sparse and airy quality to the music makes it seem imminently listenable. While I'd put this album into a playlist, rather than listening to it all desperate and lonely, I really like it.

Joshua Eustis, and Charles Cooper probably made their greatest work the first time out with Fahrenheit Fair Enough and made a step back with their second effort as far as I am concerned, but when they returned for a final, and I'm sure they didn't know this at the time, album. I must admit that I don't find any of the elements of the programming particularly groundbreaking, and the song structures don't strike me as anything that I've never heard before or since, but for some reason this album feels special. It isn't a happy album, and you don't have to listen to it. You life will not be incomplete if you miss this one. Rolling Stone will NEVER put this album or any Telefon Tel Aviv record on one of their 1001 records you "MUST HEAR" before you die lists, but I do believe that you would do yourself a disservice by completely ignoring this group.

Yes, They do tend toward the down-tempo aesthetic, but they have more attractive, even fun songs like "Stay Away from Being Maybe." I have completely ignored the vocals ever time I have listened to this album. I don't think they matter, but maybe they do. It is part of the Shoegaze aesthetic. The vocals seem to be there more to accentuate the music than to punctuate anything. Telefon Tel Aviv have always, and now WILL always been about the intricate yet minimalist electronics for me. This record has its lighter moments but seems to focus on the dark.

The Other Fucking thing, I REALLY like the album title and find it apropos with the death of the second member of the group. I have never thought of suicide as a "coward's way out" I have always felt that it is an appropriate reaction to a far to fucked-up world. I know this position speaks volumes more about me than the music I happen to listen to, but I find a positive message in that sentiment. Buddhist monks burned themselves as protest during the Vietnam conflict. Think to yourself, have you ever been so committed to something that it controlled your destiny? For at least one half of this group they were.

6.8/10