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What it is: Upbeat psych-pop with
memorable verses and choruses
rIYL: The Kinks, The 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. They 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. There’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 everywhere 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. They 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. Their psych-pop pomp is
definitely interesting to watch. They 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, there’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.
There’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.” The 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. They’ll
point you to their website where 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.” They 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. The
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. There
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