by Joe Younglove
My first impression of Sound Expression, the new four-song EP by Lincoln’s Touch People, made me imagine a cyborg shorting out, but never shutting down.
Titled “Every Word,” the opening song has a building militant beat steaming beneath bionic pleas, featuring the key phrase, “I’ve used every word and every note, there are no combinations left, no tones to bear no tones to share…” There’s more to it, but I suggest listening for yourself to hear it all.
“Every Word” is certainly one of the most thought-provoking works from the mind of Darren Keen, the man behind Touch People. It’s an all-around workout in a collage of colorful thoughts and tones. Its unexpected shifts in pitch and octaves really set it off. About halfway through, the madness drops out, and hopeful, triumphant synth brings back the key phrase, this time without the initial desperate tone.
I love how the song addresses the prevalent thought that “everything’s been done with music." If that’s the case, I don’t think it means one must move on to some other hobby. Touch People has created a beautiful response to this supposed futility.
The excellently-titled second song, “You Can Live,” should hopefully remind everyone they can indeed “live.” With electronic impulses drenched in angelic waves and wisdom, the song strikes a chord. It may be the most visible invisible music can be.
“All you can do is make the sound that sounds like sound to you." That thought, from the EP’s title track, encapsulates my convictions about Touch People. It highlights the idea that if people make the sounds they want to make, move the way they want to move, and/or see the things they want to see, life can probably feel something like a gift.
The fourth and final song, “No Combos,” isn’t about the absence of those wonderful, cylindrical bite-size snacks. That would really derail the EP, actually. Instead it revisits the infamous phrase from “Every Word,” except this time more warped and cut-up for feelings of maximum dance.
I like how Touch People can make electronic music “come to life.” Artists like Caribou, Prefuse 73 and Lemon Jelly also demonstrate this quality quite well. You can sense the passion they exude for evocative music, and appreciate the ambitious effort to make the best use of new sound technology.
Because it's such an inviting sonic journey, I sort of wish Sound Expression was a full album. I found it easier to connect with than Touch People’s first release, Everyone is Not Alive. But as short as it is, the EP presents palpable progress. Released on CD by Illegal Art Records, it's an exceptional work for open ears and minds. I hope whatever comes next manages to further challenge listeners in new ways. At the very least, I anticipate some seriously brave new waves.
Joe Younglove is a Hear Nebraska contributor and a musician based in Lincoln. Contact him at joeyounglove@gmail.com.