The teaches of Peaches, the hymn of Kim.
[Video][Website]
[5.86]
Alfred Soto: “Peaches. Sit down beside me. Whatchoo gonna do for us kool things with deadpan vocals and the cool of a diamondback rattler?”
[7]
Jonathan Bogart: Remembering electroclash the way electroclash remembered no wave; there’s nothing here that Cristina (or even Amanda Lear) didn’t do more than thirty years ago. Which means it’s a perennial topic, of course — half-relevant recitation of app names aside — and nothing’s changed.
[6]
Micha Cavaseno: One of the most tiring aspects of electroclash provocateur Peaches since her debut on the scene with “Fuck the Pain Away” is that she REALLY WANTS TO LET YOU KNOW HOW PUNK ROCK SHE IS. Eventually she utterly disposed of the electroclash elements for a while and basically tried to play the female Iggy Pop, which is cool and all unless rock guitars turn you off, and kind of proved that Peaches wasn’t interested in working within a realm (like, say, Miss Kittin), but instead was trying to be a Rock Star. So “Close Up” features Ol’ Smokey herself, The Baddest Lady in All of Alt Culture, Miss Kim Gordon, but also features the most tired electronica production I’ve heard this side of a TV drama soundtrack. It’s clearly built with the first priority of making sure the Stars look “cool.” Songs? Blah, leave that for later.
[2]
Thomas Inskeep: More interesting — and odd — than good, but interesting and odd still count for something these days. As does Kim Gordon dropping in with a weird spoken chorus.
[5]
Brad Shoup: Instead of an easy dismissal of dating apps — so Gen-X it’s painful — it would’ve been nice if Peaches and Gordon just wallowed in the extremes. They get there on Kim’s final chorus, where a shaved bell signals that the correct pose has been struck. The litany of apps that scan well are just eye-rolling (the joke’s been made), but hey, the ball’s in Natasha Lyonne’s court. Major credit for getting the bass right, though: this thing is a creeper.
[6]
Anthony Easton: I love this. I am excited to hear these two fierce voices working with the idea of lineage and the politicizing of bodies over perfect dance beats –maybe the best house beat I have heard this year, verging on/flirting with trap. Extra points for the video.
[8]
Katherine St Asaph: The music press in 2015: I went to the ends of Google for any coverage of “Close Up” — you can too — and the only outlet except us with anything to say about the music was, somehow, NME. (Please correct me on this.) You would think Kim Gordon’s presence would get you taken seriously, but no, apparently the music in a piece of music is just that much of a niche topic. Gordon’s a presence, alright: playing a louche photog with so many undertones: unconcerned shrug, sangfroid cool, disarming lust. Meanwhile, Peaches and her porno pastiche, throwing Blender-Tinder-Findr-Grindr against the wall then humping it, turns out to suit 2015 quite well. Maybe the most impressive thing is that this feels like an album track.
[7]