the deli_32 fall 2010
specials the deli’s features What it is: Upbeat psych-pop with memorable verses and choruses rIYL: <strong>The</strong> Kinks, <strong>The</strong> Black Lips CMJ 2010 LIVE AT SPIKE HILL 10/23/10 Don’t Blow It Again Electric Tickle Machine www.electricticklemachine.com By Jen Chang / Photo by Michael De Leon Ok, let’s be serious. Electric Tickle Machine are Tom (vocals, guitar), Ryan (keyboards), Clark (percussion) and a rotating drummer. <strong>The</strong>y are my friends and I’ll concede that some objectivity is thrown out the window. I will say though, for posterity’s sake, that I have lots of other friends in bands and most of them are terrible. T<strong>here</strong>’s something brazen and stubborn about ETM but miraculously it’s more refreshing than off-putting. Over the course of the past two years, I have seen them play more than a dozen times everyw<strong>here</strong> from Santos Party House to the Glasslands Gallery. I’ve seen them play on a boat and at absurd art parties with haut-burlesque and clowns. <strong>The</strong>y always have a lot of girls dancing in the front and Clark, the “hype-man,” usually breaks his tambourine in a fit of dance rapture. Actually, they all look possessed when they play. This is a good thing. I could toss around a phrase like real, New York rock and roll to describe Electric Tickle Machine but rock star is something they spell with sequins on belts at the mall. It’s something that is too often associated with a haircut, or a hand gesture, and not an actual feeling. In spirit, ETM perform with a combination of boyish sincerity and adult abandon. <strong>The</strong>ir psych-pop pomp is definitely interesting to watch. <strong>The</strong>y make lots of people shake their bodies and generally, these people seem to be actually enjoying themselves. It’s weird. Tom Tickle sings and shouts with equal fervor. While some of his sentiments and melodies are sweet, t<strong>here</strong>’s a fuck-all undercurrent of desperation. Think Iggy Pop and Roky Erickson with a little Roy Orbison thrown in for good measure. Ryan Renn has a mighty synthesizer arsenal at his command. He plays bass lines with his right hand and noise and hooks with his left. His sounds are like a combination of Silver Apples, Fiery Furnaces and Wendy Carlos covering Bach. T<strong>here</strong>’s some wizard in him. Add Clark, a 6’5’’ roaming percussionist/hype man (occasionally in 6 inch platforms), some loud, slacker guitar and chugging drums, and you find yourself in a neon snow globe of “neo-cowboy surrender music.” Electric Tickle Machine self-released their first album, “Blew It Again,” in the U.S. in June of this year and it was also released in Japan via Vinyl Junkie. According to Tom Tickle, “One label insinuated that they’d sign us if we changed our name. We decided to go it ourselves and it’s been trying at times, but on the whole it’s felt good to stick to our guns and keep control of the project.” <strong>The</strong> album cover, conceived by Clark and Vice contributing photographer Mike De Leon, features a young woman with a crooked smile and an exposed nipple. It’s sweet, soft-core Americana. “It’s not like it’s a gigantic fake tit,” says Tom. Well said. It is worth acknowledging the challenging nature of the band’s name. Many people seem to hate it and the band refuses to change it. <strong>The</strong>y’ll point you to their website w<strong>here</strong> you can read a long-winded explanation of what the name actually means. It reads, in part, “You can’t tickle yourself. It’s laughter born from torture. It is the sound of forced glee with an undercurrent of pain and vulnerability. We’re all tied to tickle machines, and it’s high time we redefined our relationship with the fingers.” <strong>The</strong>y do concede that the name defense has grown tiresome. A recent tweet declared, “from now on, we’re called Toothpaste and we tweet pictures of over-sized kittens and talk about how much we like smoking weed.” Minutes later: “My cat looks so cute right now. How could I not give him the other half of my burrito?” Musically, “Blew It Again,” is a melodic romp through American garage, psychedelia and country. “Part of Me” is the poppiest song on the record begins, “Part of me dies when you’re not around, Part of me comes to life when you’re not around,” and is crooned over the verses with hand claps and group choruses of “Ba Da Das.” Sounding like a modern Troggs, it’s a happy song that is at the same time a little strange. “Gimme Money” goes in the opposite direction and has a sleazy strut. “Gimme Money, I see something that I want! It’s My Gun!,” etc. <strong>The</strong> synthesizer work on the album’s most ambitious and lengthiest song, “Ask Me Anything,” reminds me of Animal Collective until the song resolves in slow organ and emotional rock and roll. “Blew It Again” has ten tracks clock in at under a half hour (perfect for the attention-challenged) and sound best loud, and in headphones. T<strong>here</strong> are many production twists and turns that aren’t immediately audible and provide pleasant surprises with repeat listens. I recommend buying it on vinyl, but if you’re a recession stricken, It’s streaming on their website, or you can torrent it (they say they don’t mind). Whether you like it or not, chances are you’ll remember their name. Are you curious? Artist Equipment Check!!! roland SP-404 Sampler “Beyond the obvious instruments, clark recently got a Roland 404 sampler that we’ve loaded with synth noise for extra texture in some of our songs.” the deli_33 fall 2010