Mayda and Tarlton
Mayda
Mayda, The Interrogation
(Sonic Matrimony)
Born in Korea but adopted and raised in St. Paul, Mayda Miller turned her issues about her dual identities into music. With her debut, The Interrogation, she creates a giddy sugar-rush of pop that stands apart from nearly everything on the current local scene—though Prince is an obvious reference point since New Power Generation drummer Michael Bland produced the album. Mayda’s sassy and lithe pop craft doesn’t quite reach the Purple One’s heights in terms of sheer sonic grandeur—but she comes damn close. If anything, The Interrogation is too ambitious—as on the “Actin’ Crazy,” which suffers from a flood of sounds and awkward-fitting samples. But the taut kiss-off, “The Perfect Mess,” proves Mayda’s star is capable of shining bright—even with a pared-down sound.
Decider Grade: B
Upcoming show: March 14, Triple Rock Social Club
—Rob Van Alstyne
(Sonic Matrimony)
Born in Korea but adopted and raised in St. Paul, Mayda Miller turned her issues about her dual identities into music. With her debut, The Interrogation, she creates a giddy sugar-rush of pop that stands apart from nearly everything on the current local scene—though Prince is an obvious reference point since New Power Generation drummer Michael Bland produced the album. Mayda’s sassy and lithe pop craft doesn’t quite reach the Purple One’s heights in terms of sheer sonic grandeur—but she comes damn close. If anything, The Interrogation is too ambitious—as on the “Actin’ Crazy,” which suffers from a flood of sounds and awkward-fitting samples. But the taut kiss-off, “The Perfect Mess,” proves Mayda’s star is capable of shining bright—even with a pared-down sound. Decider Grade: B
Upcoming show: March 14, Triple Rock Social Club
—Rob Van Alstyne
Tarlton, Papa Theses
(Afternoon Records)
Brett Bullion first made his name as a drummer and electronica artist with the Minneapolis trio Tiki Obmar, which took a sampler-heavy twist on the genre of guitar-based indie rock. Since the mid-2000s, Bullion has gone solo under the new moniker Tarlton. He now creates ethereally beautiful instrumental soundscapes that live somewhere between ambient electronica and the loop-and-drum-based experiments of another Minneapolis drummer, Martin Dosh. He’s been slow to release anything new since 2005’s debut EP, Van, but this year brings two fresh Tarlton discs: a full-length out later this fall and the new three-song EP, Papa Theses. Recorded in Seattle with a single drum kit and laptop, the trio of 8-minute circuit-bent soundscapes float and weave like a flock of seabirds over the ocean, with graceful swoops of sonic motion. Unhurried but never uninteresting, the music evolves slowly, changing from moment to moment with no apparent need for a more insistent direction.
Decider Grade: B
Upcoming show: March 13, 7th Street Entry
—Christopher Bahn
(Afternoon Records)
Brett Bullion first made his name as a drummer and electronica artist with the Minneapolis trio Tiki Obmar, which took a sampler-heavy twist on the genre of guitar-based indie rock. Since the mid-2000s, Bullion has gone solo under the new moniker Tarlton. He now creates ethereally beautiful instrumental soundscapes that live somewhere between ambient electronica and the loop-and-drum-based experiments of another Minneapolis drummer, Martin Dosh. He’s been slow to release anything new since 2005’s debut EP, Van, but this year brings two fresh Tarlton discs: a full-length out later this fall and the new three-song EP, Papa Theses. Recorded in Seattle with a single drum kit and laptop, the trio of 8-minute circuit-bent soundscapes float and weave like a flock of seabirds over the ocean, with graceful swoops of sonic motion. Unhurried but never uninteresting, the music evolves slowly, changing from moment to moment with no apparent need for a more insistent direction.Decider Grade: B
Upcoming show: March 13, 7th Street Entry
—Christopher Bahn
