Ben Pantrey - Writings

Published online by Cassandra Voices, 24 September 2021. For Christmas two years ago, my mother bought me a copy of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People(2018). I tried to read it, I really did, but gave up after twenty pages. Looking back now, I can’t remember exactly what it was that turned me off it. I recall saying something along the lines of not liking the dialogue and the way the characters were realised. Looking back, I think I disliked the social pressure exerted on me to read and admire Sally Rooney. You see, as a student in Trinity College Dublin, the figure of Sally Rooney loomed large.  Access to campus was restricted while a TV adaptation of her book was filmed. Her novels lined the windows of nearby book shops. Rave reviews appeared everywhere you looked online. She was the voice of the Irish millennial. All of this, rather than encouraging me to embrace her work, raised my hackles and ensured that I would find fault in anything I read by her. After laying Normal Peopl...

 Published online by TN2 on the 3rd December 2020. Oneohtrix Point Never, the alias of American musician Daniel Lopatin, has been a well regarded artist in electronic music for many years now. Fans of vaporwave will be familiar with the influential Eccojams vol. 1 , released under the moniker Chuck Person, as well as his album Replica , a more polished take on the genre's sample-based style. The majority of his music, however, is much more eclectic genre-wise, although an atmosphere of vaporwave always seems to linger in the background. This album is no exception. Eccojams vol. 1 is regarded as an important work of proto-vaporwave. Here, Lopatin took 80s hits like Toto’s ‘Africa’ or Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Only over You’, isolated certain moments, slowed them down, looped them, and applied a variety of effects according to the caprice of the moment. What results is a sort of otherworldly, psychedelic soundscape. It’s like being trapped for eternity inside a five-second pop hook. Every a...

Published online by TN2 11 November 2020. Tomorrows I is the first part of Tomorrows, a concept album by American band Son Lux. The band’s website pitches the project as one that explores “volatile principles: imbalance, disruption, collision, redefinition.” As this quote reveals, Son Lux’s music is not easy to describe in plain English. This description features the same register one might find in the brochure of a modern art exhibit. This attitude may stem from their founder Ryan Lott, who studied music at university and was privately tutored by a former student of Leonard Bernstein. For the most part, the album lives up to the high expectations these facts might raise. Son Lux makes use of a variety of forward-thinking studio effects, whether it be pitch shifting down the sound of violins to explore the rich textures present in their upper registers, or Lott himself singing in a higher key, and then transposing his voice down to shift the timbre of his voice in an unusual and intri...

Published in print by TN2 September 2020. Published online 26 October 2020. Over the Summer, I got around to doing something I’ve been putting off for years – producing electronic music. From the outside, this hobby can appear intimidatingly difficult, with its own jargon, software and online subcultures. Once I started digging into it, however, I was surprised to find there are a plethora of free, beginner-friendly resources available. The most difficult part was learning where to start. For help, I reached out to Irish electronic musician Herb Magee (AKA Arvo Party), for advice on getting into electronic music as a beginner. To produce electronic music, you need a Digital Audio Workstation (commonly referred to as a DAW). This software allows you to create, record and manipulate audio. There are many reputable free options, such as Garageband (which comes pre-installed on Macs), Reaper (recommended in a Q&A with Autechre) and Cakewalk. Arvo Party “started out with Logic and stil...

Published online by TN2 magazine 19 August 2020. Silverbacks are a five-piece Dublin-based band composed of brothers Daniel and Kilian O’Kelly (the principal songwriters), along with Peader Kearney, Emma Hanlon and Gary Wickham. Last month, the band released their first album, Fad. Angular and jagged guitar riffs bounce back and forth over the funny, offbeat lyrics of frontman Daniel O’Kelly. On several songs, bassist Emma Hanlon takes over the role of lead vocalist. Her melodic, clean singing contrasts the rest of the band’s punky yells to great effect on the choruses of songs such ‘Klub Silberrücken’ and ‘Muted Gold’. Producer Daniel Fox of Girl Band coaxes a variety of textures out of the band’s guitars, resulting in an album which is fresh, varied and a lot of fun. Through the socially distant medium of email, singer/songwriter and guitarist Kilian O’Kelly, alongside bassist and vocalist Emma Hanlon spoke, about their musical influences, their label Central Tones, and their aspira...

Soon after Smiley Smile (1967) was released, the principal songwriter of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, was admitted into psychiatric care. With his talent for composition, Wilson held almost sole responsibility for the Beach Boy’s success in the early ‘60s. In early 1965, Wilson withdrew from touring for reasons of mental health. As the band toured in Europe, their leader stayed home and experienced a creative breakthrough. His new songs achieved a new level of emotional expressiveness and musical complexity, while still retaining a pop sensibility. When the other members returned to the States and heard them, however, they weren’t optimistic about their commercial viability. Songs like “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” and “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on my Shoulder)”, with their melancholic lyrics and surreal melodies were a far cry from the surf-rock ditties that brought the band to fame. Unfortunately for Wilson, the pessimism of his bandmates was initially justified. Pet Sounds ...