Nick Sylvester already expertly picked apart the concept of what we want something to sound like based on memory vs. what it maybe actually sounds like, right here. But it's important to bring up again, especially in the context of Vital Caress, who more than likely take some cues from Ariel Pink's earlier, more damaged work. It's a risky move, laying yourself out there in all your flaws, making pop songs that you don't have the money to make. Operating in a vacuum without all the bells and whistles and studio trickery and Dr. Lukes that you'd generally hope for when making music like this. Our first inclination upon hearing this would be to describe it as honest. Music with a beating pop heart that doesn't care that it's imperfect, that the video is stitched together from VHS tapes and edited that way too, that it is sometimes out of tune and there are sometimes fuck ups. But maybe in 2011 that's not how it works. Making music this raw is now a choice. A different form of showmanship. Growing out of it doesn't mean getting cleaner, it just means warping expectations to fit your own screwy vision, and if people get it? (Whatever that means. Not getting it doesn't mean anything other than a difference in taste). Cool. If not, also totally fine. No matter what though, this chorus will probably not leave your head even if you totally hate the song. Keep watch at The Pop Manifesto for more. (via Altered Zones)