idiotic barber - Something Smart

Idiotic Barber

Something Smart
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Idiotic Barber may sound like the name of a punk rock band but is in fact a solo electronic act. The unnamed dude blurs his picture on his Bandcamp page and has an endearing self-deprecating statement that “Idiotic Barber is a side-project by one enthusiastic dude with absolutely no musical talent whatsoever, he just likes to pretend.” The irony is that he does have musical talent. His recent release Something Smart combines different textures and sounds into a rather original sounding album. 

About his opener “The Retail Train” he explains that it is “the worst album opener of all time, I've yet to find someone who likes "The Retail Train, yet it is one of my favorite.” It definitely wasn’t my favorite track but it reminded me a bit of Vitalic, which was a plus in my book. 

The second track “Orbital Degeneracy” initially sounds like tremors underneath an alien planet until the piano enters and creates a sense of humanity. It quickly reverts to the tremors that have additional terrestrial-like elements. “Papacy Helps” combines shiny elements of bells and glass that at about the two-minute mark get bombarded by the low-end thud of a kick drum while “Bloat” sounds get even more experimental. “Bloat” has ominous overtones and I kept thinking about a dystopian future where our A.I. overlords had this song on repeat. 

“Commorient” sounds like the beginning of a NIN song before de-evolving into a shell of loose, creepy atmospheric subtle sounds. Towards the ends it sounds like a swarm of bees coming closer to you. Nice track for a horror flick. 

Idiotic Barber may or may not think much of himself but I dig it. The guy is on to something and in a world full of more and more electronic music that sounds similar he is sounding unique. I’m impressed - give this a spin.