Chris Daly thought he saw a pirate ship.
If I understand correctly, Pogo not only does it all the time, but he gets paid by the mouse himself to do so. Hell, even Jonwayne Fucks Disney. So it should come as no surprise that L. Pierre, aka Aidan Moffat, formerly of the Scottish indie rock duo, Arab Strap, takes his turn at the tables to give his own spin to the Magic Kingdom’s soundtrack.
Whereas the aforementioned artists all reinterpreted existing works by way of digital chicanery, L. Pierre takes a much more “crate diggerly” approach on this Dazed Digital mix, selecting lost and deep cuts, largely letting them breathe on their own to create a pretty messed up soundscape. From a couple of unused songs from the Jungle Book to a hearty helping of Chilling, Thrilling Sounds Of The Haunted House, L. Pierre shows that musicians did not play around when they played for Mr. Disney.
Nothing here post-dates the Golden Age of Disney, with 1970’s Aristocats being the “youngest” selection on hand. L. Pierre takes a curator’s approach to the selections, uncovering a lot of songs most likely unfamiliar to the casual fan, applying sparse, Ginsu-proficient cuts where necessary, such as that freaky loop of Alice bemoaning her fate or the unsettling reverb on Snow White’s voice in “I’m Wishing.” In other words, these symphonies simply are not silly.
The overall effect, quite honestly, is pretty fucked up. While there are gorgeous, orchestral strings and woodwinds throughout, the source material from which Walt took his stories came from some pretty dark places that were meant as warnings to kids because, you know, witches will fuck up one’s shit if one is not prepared. The mommy issues alone are enough to give a child psychologist enough material to buy a fleet of Ferarris, and that forlorn, sadly nostalgic tone runs rampant here. This one is for fan’s of the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble who also enjoy liberal doses of doses inside the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
