the ariel pink family tree

Ariel Pink is megaprolific LA-based songwriter who sits at the center of a whole constellation of artists making homemade, rinky dink could-be-hits. Using often outdated, underpowered and/or rudimentary equipment, Pink (née Rosenberg) makes quirky pop music that sounds like a sun-damaged, slowly melting version of 1970s FM rock. Since first hitting record on the boombox mic, Pink (often through his makeshift group Haunted Graffiti) has released a steady stream of material — everything from tour CD-Rs to limited run cassettes to official releases on major indies (Carpark, Animal Collective’s Paw Tracks label and, soon, 4AD). It’s all a bit overwhelming, honestly. And that doesn’t even account for the aforementioned constellation: a lo-fi wacko mentor-turned-collaborator (R. Stevie Moore), a melodramatic sometimes-Haunted Graffiti member who’s a philosophy professor by day and solo synth-pop artist by night (John Maus), an obsessed acolyte who credits Ariel with inspiring him to finally write his own songs (Christopher Owens of Girls) and a whole slew more.

I’m hardly an Ariel expert — believe me, they’re out there — but I thought I’d put together a little primer for curious parties. It goes without saying (I think?) that I’m a huge Ariel fan and I’d recommend pretty much any of his records to anyone who likes their pop a little warped and fucked-up sounding.

Haunted Graffiti
Ariel’s primary project. Has released a million gagillion little things, but there’s no sense in getting bogged down eBay-ing old cassettes when you’ve got some brilliant, easily findable albums out there. Conventional wisdom (which, I think, does exist even in such a small pond as this) says The Doldrums is his best of the “official” albums, but my personal fave is Worn Copy. Don’t be turned off by the 10+ minute first track, it’s a song cycle more than anything. In any case, by the time you get through the 2-3 punch of “Immune to Emotion” and “Jules Lost His Jewels,” you’ll either love it or hate me for dragging you this far along. Oops.

R. Stevie Moore
Warrants his own post entirely, really. A wacked-out New Jersey guy who’s put out dozens and dozens of records that are perfect in that kind of “not perfect at all” way. Both Moore’s end-product (wordplay-stuffed, bad/great falsetto-pop with cheap synths and great chord changes) and method (4-track, DIY releasing) are huge — and hugely apparent — influences on Ariel. Start with Meet the R. Stevie Moore!. Also, his cover of “Chantilly Lace” is classic.

John Maus (UK/EU ONLY)
I am embarrassing-level obsessed with Love Is Real. I’m pretty sure it will decimate everything else on my Last.fm pretty soon. Maus is a philosophy professor at the University of Hawaii and was at one point a core member of Haunted Graffiti. He also played keyboards for Panda Bear. His lyrics aren’t particularly philosophical (Sample: “Rights for gays. Right now. Rights for gays. Oh yeah.”) but his music does have a bit of a melodramatic professor vibe. Love Is Real is almost all synths. They overlap and swell and swirl a lot and are honestly a bit cheesy. It doesn’t matter. His songs are like a waaaay goth-er New Order. God, I’m having a terrible time explaining why to love this record. Listen — if you live anywhere in Europe, just download it, okay?! Thanks!

Nite Jewel
Nite Jewel is a divisive figure here at 17 Dots HQ. Yancey likes (loves?) one song. Joe and Maris eat H8er Tots. I love a few songs, find the rest kinda… okay. I like how unified the sound is. Everything, from the drums to the soft synth pads, sound kind of underwater. Scuba disco? Something like that. Nite Jewel is primarily Ramona Gonzalez and her husband Cole M.G.N., who was also a guitarist in Haunted Graffiti. Yancey says start with “Lover” from Good Evening and I say the insta-winner is “What Did He Say.” Either way, it’s definitely worth a listen.

Final, obnoxious-but-sorta-true thing I’ll say about Nite Jewel: Good Evening is total proto-chillwave.

Girls
When Christopher Owens moved to San Francisco, he wasn’t playing music, let alone writing it. Soon after arriving, he met Ariel Pink and Matt Fishbeck and went from smitten to obsessed real fast. He joined their band Holy Shit as a guitarist and fell in with the California coast fucked-up flower rock people. Next thing you know he’s written his first song (“Lust For Life,” instant classic), performing to increasingly adoring crowds (often wearing a homemade Ariel Pink shirt) and putting Ariel homages on his singles’ b-sides. (The flip on Lust For Life, “Life In San Francisco,” was inspired by Pink’s fan favorite “Life In L.A.” Ariel’s “L.A.” is a bit breezy and tongue-in-cheek; Girls’ “S.F.” is a TON breezy and is pure dew-eyed, heart-on-sleeve Owens.)