Where would MJ Guider’s debut album on Kranky come from if Melissa Guion, the principal behind the moniker, were forced to reside in a dystopian environment that forbade the local existence of mentally-soothing foliage? Some of us take for granted the stabilizing effect that any amount of greenery has on our daily lives, which is easy to do given the immediate preoccupations of screens and things in buildings that are arguably more interesting than the easement tree recently planted by the city. But while the rest of us urban residents were passingly appreciating the “juxtaposition” of nature and human civilization, Guion saw real inspiration in her native New Orleans, whose very notion causes me to gradually fill my sweat bucket. (The rain and humidity there has obviously led to a generous leaf infusion)
Precious Systems is out July 15, and it follows an MJ Guider tape that came out on Constellation Tatsu back in 2013. This new one is arguably lusher than its predecessor, and according to a press release, the songs therein attempt to create contrasts similar to the one described above about the Big Easy. A Rickenbacker 3000 bass, Roland R-8 drum machine, and RE-501 effects machine were the chosen pieces of equipment.
Here’s the opening track, after noting that MJ Guider will be performing as a trio on select dates… some time soon:
Precious Systems tracklisting:
01. Lit Negative
02. Triple Black
03. Surfacing First
04. White Alsatian
05. Second Surface
06. Former Future Beings
07. Their Voices Clear Now
09. Fiction Control
More about: MJ Guider
