It’s a cool mid-March day– the sun is out and the hints of summer are present across the field near my flat. Indeed, summer is not quite around the corner, but a mere 15 minute bus journey away.
* Reader’s voice * “Why are you harking on about the weather, you mad fool? This is a music review!”
Fear not, faithful readers, for there is a reason why I am making a point about the weather – because R’s “Bubble Gum Geisha” fits this scene perfectly – and it could well be the sound of summer 2015.
The song begins with a smooth and minimalistic synth loop that sets the tone for the entire song. The rest of the ensemble joins in and it is here where the level of production becomes immediately apparent. Every element of the track is clear and pristine but never too much in terms of arrangement, the vocals glide into existence, smooth and creamy and echoing into infinity. A beautiful piano line adds definition whilst hinting towards melancholia – fitting in perfectly with the disillusion of the western obsession with material pleasures demonstrated in the lyrics (most notable in the chorus – “We’re living in a plastic world…”).
While the message is resounding, and perhaps one we can all relate to, the song is free of over-complexity, making it very easy to imagine this song being blared by car stereos on a hot summer’s evening up and down the country.
by Matt Conn
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