I was going to write about Paul A. Rosales two weeks ago, but I never got around to it. Now I am being sent press releases about how he “fits in nicely to the Altered Zones” world. I am not sure what that means for me. Does this mean that I also fit nicely in the Altered Zones world? Am I eligible to win a free cassette player hand-crafted by Ariel Pink, painted with dancing unicorns and butthouse blondies? What about a beard trimmer endorsed by Avey Tare? Or a Sleep Over with Sleep Over? Honestly, these questions are pretty stupid. I really only care about where I can purchase a lifetime supply of flannel — preferably something that will go with an asymmetrical haircut and a psychedelic pair of spectacles.
Rosales’ record dropped last week on NY/LDN imprint Care in the Community. I’m unsure how much Rosales cares in the community, but according to his biography, he’s produced for Pearl Harbor, who have saddly saddled themselves with the name Puro Instinct — with the titular inspiration seemingly derived from the name of a 1970s Paraguayan porn film. Like Piper Kaplan and Ariel Pink, Rosales is an acolyte of the R. Stevie Moore school of deranged and damaged home recording. Rosales hides behind a lo-fi carapace of distortion and off-beat mumbles. Yet the songs are there and remind me a lot of Pink in the “Every Night I Die at Miyagi’s.” AM/psych pop- era — before he decided to make Steely Dan records. Considering he’s in his early 20s, this is an auspicious start for Rosales — even if a part of me feels that like many of his peers, this is being packaged as outsider art to make people feel like insiders.
Download:
MP3: Paul A. Rosales-“Crimes”
MP3: Paul A. Rosales-“Nautilus Cry”
