1977 is big and easy. The opening track “Goldfisch” accurately sets the stage. The beats are generic, the melodies simplistic, the compositions predictable. This is the kind of electronic dance music that inevitably finds its way into festivals and blockbuster movies. If that’s your thing, I think you’ll like this record. Personally, I struggled to get through “Goldfisch” and the record only got worse from there.
There are sonic surprises that demonstrate the quality of Kölsch’s ear, but they are the exception, not the rule. They are like random profound statements from an obnoxious drunk: the nuggets of beauty aren’t worth enduring a mountain of crap.
1977 did smack me in the face with an important life lesson though: don’t dismiss an artist because you hate one of their records. If I heard 1977 first, I never would have listened to fabric Presents Kölsch, and the thought of never hearing that record makes me sad. So keep an open mind the next time you re-encounter an artist (or a person) who you disliked in the past.
Released: June 24, 2013
I’m not necessarily disagreeing with your overall assessment, but “Goldfisch” is the rare EDM track that makes me play air guitar. Yeah, there is no guitar, but it sure feels like a big guitar driven rock song. I think that is notable.
The vinyl does not include “Goldfisch.” Weird.
You make me consider something: what is the desire to play air guitar with a song if not an emotional reaction? Not to say all emotional connections lead to air guitar, but there is a distinct emotional feeling that songs can give you that make you want to play air guitar. It’s a feeling of excitement and enthusiasm, of possibility, of the hope for tearing down walls and building connections.
Maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss things just because they’re big and bombastic and well-suited for festivals and blockbuster movies. What is a blockbuster movie if not a successful effort to connect with people’s emotions?
Of course, emotional connections can also be manipulative, and they can play on the worst parts of being human. Social media thrives on emotional connection, the rush of dopamine that happens when we get a like or get retweeted or feel heard (even if we’re not really heard). I initially dismissed “Goldfisch” as being emotionally manipulative, or at least emotionally simplistic. Maybe that’s not a fair assessment.
And that’s weird that “Goldfisch” isn’t on the vinyl. Of all the songs they could have left off, that’s not the one I’d pick.