The Pragmatic-Circles EP
By Karen K • Nov 15th, 2009 • Category: Music Reviews
Circles EP by The Pragmatic
Whenever I review an album of a band I’ve never heard, I do a little background check. This might be a bad idea because it may skew my view a little, especially when I read the words “composed” and “video game soundtrack” as I did when looking up The Pragmatic. I got a bit apprehensive, and I thought, “I’m going to hate this.” Lately, I’ve been getting sick of the whole “I’ve got a Mac and software and now I’m a musician” vein of music that seems to be flooding the market. Every bar I go into seems to have a little hipster boy pushing buttons on the expensive fucking computer mommy and daddy bought him (well, not every bar but you know what I mean). So, I’m still kinda shocked that I really enjoyed this EP.
Circles definitely has electronic drums, which in general I’m not the biggest fan. I like the warm variety you get with an actual set of drums with a live human being pounding away on them, call me old fashioned. The beats on this EP teeter on the edge of the ’80s love affair with the drum machine and almost rave-like break beats, which just ends up making them addictive. I almost wait in anticipation to hear the seamless change-up on songs such as “Circles” and “Academy.” The album is definitely full of “look at all the noises I can make on my synths” video game sounds, which are fun to listen to, but in the middle of the video game madness, they drop in unsuspected sounds like mariachi horns on “You Blame Me.” I can’t help but tell you that this album reminds me of the Postal Service (which I love). Karl Kling’s voice sounds a lot like Ben Gibbard’s, which should give me another reason to hate this release. As much as it can sound similar, The Pragmatics are not rip-off artists. This album is more dancey and more heavily reliant on glitchy electro pop, which just stops short of turning into dance music, especially on “Death Match.”
Circles has an ’80s sound. It can almost sound like a rave. The singer sounds a lot like another singer, and it’s obsessed with video game noises. As much as this album has elements that have made me cringe in the past, I can’t help but like it. I dig the lyrics, beats, and yes even the video game sounds. It’s a fun album that has some depth. I can’t wait to hear a full length from them.
I’ll have to actually check this out, maybe we should have a dance party