ZapTown

Boy Eats Drum Machine
Hoop And Wires
Tender Loving Empire
Rating: 4 out of 5

Link: http://boyeatsdrummachine.com/

I have not had this much fun listening to an album in a long time. Jon Ragel’s mastery to manipulate the DJ booth while making relevantly glistening tunes without sounding pretentious or downright goofy is a breath of fresh air.

In the beginning there was a modernized House blend with an underlying ‘50s pop construct, and “Hoop + Wire” was good. It bleeds into “Constellation” that sounds as if Erasure remixed a Euphone song. How much more badass can you get? Oh, very badass.

The hardcore bounce of “ABQ” is Blade Runner in Sin City as the bass punches you in the bowels. It only makes sense when I tell you that the song was conceived during a dusty drive through the Southwest. You see, Ragel came up with the ideas during a road trip across the United States. Hoop And Wires is Ragel’s American Dream. Be it the sunshine of “Syncopated” and his graphing of love versus time or the starry-eyed “We Make Our Own Light.”

The spy-themed “Gold In The Hills” and the ‘80s synth funk of “Lolo Forest” make it that much better.

The album kind of falls apart towards the end with a combination of video game antics and uninspired vocals that try to keep up with the electro-bleep beats. I don’t know what happen but the last few songs really take a nose dive and could be wiped from this album for all I care. It’s the songs I mentioned above that are the true gems.

Ragel’s views on pop are not just eclectic, they are interesting and good! And for one man to wrap up that much talent in a bundle of unique electronic pop that uses indie rock as a springboard, you bet your booty it will be shaking around the room while your gullet drops lower in a state of  awe.

 

 Boy Eats Drum Machine - Hoops + Wire (from the album "Hoops And Wire"): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download