Written by Kirk
Commander : ) — Starberry Perzervz
> Electronic/experimental/noise rock
> Washington, US
> Releasing February 16
> Philip K. Discs
I don’t know if this is some kind of cardinal sin for which I need to atone, but I watched the Grammys on February 4th. Was I in any way invested in any of the artists who were up for any of the awards? Fuck no! (although I do find it funny that Boygenius beat bands like Arctic Monkeys and Foo Fighters in both the Rock and Alternative categories, but that’s because I think Chad tears are delicious.) To be honest, I watched it because I write about music, and I spend so much time listening to and writing about underground music that sometimes it’s good to come up to the surface for a breath of fresh air. If nothing else, it serves as a stupendous reminder that there is so much more vibrant, challenging, and exciting music that the Recording Academy constantly and consistently seems to ignore.
As I mentioned in my Top Albums of 2023 list, I listened to more new music last year than probably any other year of my life. Without getting into details of exactly how old I am, let’s just nod our heads in agreement that this milestone is significant. But in addition to all the new music I listened to both for Noob Heavy and as a music fan(atic), I did end up listening to a lot of other music outside of my standard purview thanks to my wife’s Sirius XM subscription in her car. I’m used to getting vetoed when someone asks who wants the aux cord, and I’m usually a pretty good sport about having to listen to music that isn’t my wheelhouse, so I did listen to a fair amount of pop music last year, too, and I found a lot of it to be very…forgettable. Call me a skeptic, call me a hate, but I can’t help but feel that some things in life never change. But hey, I write for Noob Heavy, not Pitchfork or Rolling Stone.
My quest for music that challenges and excites me seems to be never-ending, which is great because its given me the opportunity to talk to you about a really cool band from Renton, WA called Commander : ) (which is pronounced “Captain Smileyface”). The unholy spawn of brothers Levi and Jonah Daniels, Commander : ) is the perfect aural amalgamation of pure musical chaos. Perfectly saddled between the worst thing you’ve ever heard in your life and the most brilliant conglomeration of musical influence you’ve ever experienced, it’s no surprise that this compilation of American melting pot jams comes to you on glorious compact disc from your (and my) favorite purveyor of eclectic noisemakers, Philip K. Discs. Starberry Perzervz combines the Daniels brothers’ three releases—Part 1, SBP PRESENTS: ( COMMANDER : ) ) PRT 1, and An Angry Red Painting—into an easily-digested listening experience that is guaranteed to make you say, “What the fuck did I just listen to?”, before reaching for that play button for another round.
In keeping with tradition by breaking all traditions, Starberry Perzervz starts at the end and works its way back to the beginning. Well, sort of; we start with An Angry Red Painting and work our way backwards to Part 1, giving us an objectively subjective retrospective of the Daniels brothers work thus far. In keeping with the theme of being an ostensibly American melting pot of influences, we open with “DEBT”, a milieu of noise, samples, electronics, and an infectious industrial/hip-hop fusion beat that is so delectable that it might make you forget the ravages of capitalism on modern day life (plus there’s saxophone). “BIG BOY” sounds like a collaboration between My Bloody Valentine and The Flaming Lips, oscillating back and forth between wall-of-sound style shoegaze and psychedelic-tinged electronic hallucinations. Weaving a blanket of anxiety from a hip-hop beat accented by a backdrop of more psychedelic electronic synths is “HELL”, a surprisingly comforting song in spite of its unnerving rhythms.
If you’re not constantly looking over your shoulder and speaking in riddles by now, then the three-hit-combo that is “DREAM 1”, “MOTHER”, and “DREAM 2” will certainly do the trick. Between the mind-bending electronic jams, the fuzzed-out bass, and the hypnotic drum beats, your mind will evacuate your body for greener pastures in no time. Something of a return to form, “DEATH” and “WELL” are a parachute of erratic samples, killer drums, and electronic blasts, providing the perfect landing spots as we patiently await our minds as they re-enter our bodies. These are the heaviest tracks yet, and we’re just a little halfway through our journey. But then we find ourselves even deeper in the dark underbelly of haunting, eerie electronics. “DNT OPN PRT 1” swirls and sways as it builds a deeply hypnotic web of paranoia that is unleashed in “EUROS (The Other Side of the World)” with all its heavy distortion and effects. If you’re looking for the perfect song for your End of the World playlist, you just found it. And then there’s “Welcome to the Dream Circus”, which looked at all the weird and said, “Okay, but what if we turned it up to 11?” And now we find ourselves at the end of our journey, which just so happens to be the beginning of the Daniels brothers’ escapades. “A Dangerous Journey (Laputa)” is a dark, sinister mixture of cool synths, dub-influenced industrial drums, and a cornucopia of distorted effects. In other words, nightmare fuel you can shake your ass to. And closing out the album is “Manifest”, what will feel like a return to form with its hip-hop-style beats, samples, and various noise effects. It leaves you with the satisfaction of feeling as though everything has come full circle so you feel even better about hitting play one more time.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It seems rather ironic to listen to a member of the Recording Academy give a speech about how music is subjective when they’re literally on stage to decide what—according to their standards—is the best music each and every year. It kinda feels like talking out of both sides of your mouth if you ask me, but it does hit on one universal truth: music is subjective. That’s because music is art. You can try to commodify it as much as possible, but it will never truly be a product that can be sold for everyday use (apply as needed). That’s because music, like all art, can be used for my purpose; the trick is finding the right purpose. I hope you don’t read my reviews and take my words as “the truth”; I’m just here talking about what moves me. But what I do hope is that my insight into the music that moves me helps to open doorways into new music that moves you, because bands like Commander : ) move me in myriad and wonderful ways. And if you are moved by the music of mega pop stars like Taylor Swift, cool, but I hope this makes you realize there’s so much more to explore when you decide to dig deeper and deeper into the underground. The possibilities are limitless, and the rewards are even greater.