A Closer Listen
Just in time for the holidays, The Subexotic Shopping Centre Trilogy arrives, and would make a wonderful gift for the discriminating vinyl consumer, especially one who lives in Britain. Carlisle City Council‘s The Lanes Re-Development is a tribute to the cobbled streets and working class area replaced by The Lanes shopping center in 1984; James A. Jaycock‘s Music for Space Age Shopping doubles down by exposing the dilapidation of shopping centres that were once futuristic, but are now beyond their prime; and Xqui & Dogs Versus Shadows Dwell Time offers tongue-in-cheek commentary on mall muzak and consumer theory. The retro, glued-in-time tone of these releases conjures images of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, while serving as a reflection of consumer culture past and present. Ironically, fitting as they may be, none of these records are likely to be played at the mall during the Christmas season, although they would be a welcome alternative to the annual holiday playlist.
Our ears and eyes gravitated most to Dwell Time, as it appears best suited to the current season. Even the colour ~ a hot candy pink ~ seems to offer the promise of saccharine fulfillment. “Dwell time” is the amount of time a consumer spends in the mall from first anticipatory footsteps to last package-filled stride: an amount extended every December due to the simultaneous increase in shopping and lines. The LP barely tops half an hour, which seems overly ambitious, unless one knows exactly what one is getting, makes a limited number of stops and avoids peak times.
“Arndale Dawn” leads off the set with the idea that one may rise at the crack of dawn in order to exploit holiday deals, a practice that has led in certain U.S. locations to trampling and even death. The hope is palpable before the experience begins. And then the promise of “Bright Shiny Floors” as the shopper enters, hoping to find a fantasy land that fulfills all their dreams. The music loops and shimmers, beginning as Muzak but entering into a less-frequented store of drone. Even here there is a “Shaun of the Dead”-like commentary. “Roller Shutter Fault” incorporates mechanical and industrial field recordings, the Wizard revealed behind the curtain. And yet, even this sonic world begins to draw one in.
Who can resist a “Bargain Bin Shuffle,” “A Fancy Electronic Gadget,” or this year, MrBeast Lab Mutators and Disney Crystal Surprise? There’s always something new and shiny, or a new take on an old classic (Chicken Dance Elmo). Xqui and Dogs Vs. Shadows pour on the plastic appeal until it breaks. “Shoplifter Outwits Security” and “Incident in the Food Court” imply that something in this paradise is amiss. The loops darken and crackle. The lower class cannot afford these baubles and toys. “Arndale Dawn” turns to “Arndale Dreams” and finally to “Arndale Hopes (shattered).” Yet somehow, a jaded populace continues to fantasize. The contrast between these feelings creates a nagging feeling of ennui. There must be something more. And lo! there is! A Squishmallows Original Micromallows Ferris Wheel Display Set (with 22 adorable Micromallows)!
The overworked, underpaid, frazzled temp workers share knowing glances as the last customer continues to wander around the aisle after the gates have begun to close. “Closing Time, Please Leave.” The gates will rise again in the next Arndale dawn. (Richard Allen)
Sun Dec 01 00:01:34 GMT 2024