Motion Graphics (album)

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Motion Graphics
Beverly Hills, California; Lindbergh Palace in Brooklyn, New York; The Magic Shop in New York City, New York
Genre
Length29:02
LabelDomino
Producer
  • Drew Brown
  • Joe Williams
Singles from Motion Graphics
  1. "Lenses"
    Released: July 13, 2016
  2. "Anyware"
    Released: August 5, 2016
  3. "Houzzfunction"
    Released: August 24, 2016

Motion Graphics is the self-titled debut

synth pop record without any nostalgia," and this plan turned into an ambient album about the feeling of being able to go to limitless places due to technology. In achieving this feel, Williams used the visual programming language Max for Live to create a virtual instrument
that scrolled through 100 patches at random; when a note was inputed, the instrument froze at a patch. The record's overall sound palette is a combination of organic and non-organic elements; when using software instruments that replicated real-life instruments, such as clarinets and marimbas, Williams wanted to take advantage of the “quirks and glitches within them" that lead to the instruments making sounds that they could not possibly make if performed acoustically.

Motion Graphics was released by the

music journalists
, with common praises including the album's unique sound design.

Concept

"What I like about that software is that it raises the question, 'Where is this coming from?' The origin gets blurred, because on one hand the timbre of the instrument definitely sounds like a person is playing it, but the speed of the patterning—that's where it gets tricky."

— Joes Williams on Motion Graphics'

virtual instrument concept[3]

According to Joe Williams, the final concept of Motion Graphics was realized rather than first planned out. His initial plan was "to make a

synth pop record without any nostalgia" influenced by the works of Japanese technopop acts such as Yellow Magic Orchestra.[3] In fact, Motion Graphics is similar to Yellow Magic Orchestra's music, as well as the works of Ryuichi Sakamoto or Kraftwerk, in that it is a response to modern commercial technology by "turning it into pop music" as Angus Finlayson described.[2][3][4] It wasn't until Williams made "Anyware" while riding on an Amtrak to Grand Central Terminal that he figured out the overall concept of Motion Graphics, where he made a marimba MIDI sequence for the song that sounded like a ringtone.[3][5][6] The more experimental songs on the album are instrumental, while cuts with vocals from Williams are more on the pop music side.[1]

Described by Max Pearl as "both eerily familiar and totally otherworldly," Motion Graphics regards the free feeling of accessing unlimited places due to

virtual instruments.[3] Finlayson called Motion Graphics a happier version of the works he co-produced with producer Matthew Papich, known by his stage name as Co La, which was also a response to modern internet culture; the album's happy mood is showcased in the Sakamoto-inspired chord structures of tracks like "Lense", "Houzzfunction" and "Mezzotint Gliss" as well as the calm tenor vocals sung by Williams.[2]

Styles

grime, the tension of most movie soundtracks, and indie rock vocals, as well as elements of the works of Timbaland.[8]

Reviewer Chris Ingalls compared the album's combination of organic and non-human elements into the overall sound structure to the works of Icelandic artist

post-modern recordings.[1] He also compared the album to the works of CFCF, dubstep producer Slava and R&B artist Autre Ne Veut.[1]

Sherburne characterized the sounds on Motion Graphics as "often an avatar for something else."

jazz music are also present.[11][7]

Sound design

Similar to the works of

synthpop works.[5] However, as journalist Colin Joyce wrote, "the movements are fast and flickering—a shuttering collision of sounds and styles that feels like it was generated from the disembodied guts of a rogue central processing unit."[5] Motion Graphics was produced with the digital audio workstation Ableton Live.[5] In the application, Williams programmed a plug-in in the visual programming language Max for Live[11] that went through 100 instrument sounds at random, and when a note is played, the plug-in freezes at an instrument it is choosing at that time the note is being pushed; this leads to very different sounds being played at a rapid rate that represent the speed of garnering articles and data most news aggregators have.[5]
As Williams explained the random aspect of the record's structure:

We live comfortably with this train of thought that gets divided so finely by however you designed your twitter feed. Everything is abbreviated. You can hear it in pop-ups, or the advertisements that precede any YouTube video. It's really common, that's why I like it. It's a shared experience. But interruptions are nothing new really, I grew up with a TV pretty close by from a young age and I sort of also see it as extension of that. There's a personal connection there. It's fun to think about how attention span affects listening, and I see this area as a frontier to work out my ideas.[5]

One way of inputting MIDI data into the Max for Live plug-in was through actual recorded audio. For example, the closing track of Motion Graphics, "SoftBank Arcade (Swiftcode Version)", plays MIDI notes that are inputted by hits from a free jazz drum recording.[12]

Categorized by Pearl as an "

vox, saxophone and kantele sounds are played together and sped-up to create a pitch wheel'd sound similar to dolphin noises.[11]

Vocals and lyrics

In regards to vocals, Williams explained, "I'll start a track and it will get to a point where there's a heavy implication that some kind of vocal would complete the track."

GUI", while on "City Links", he sings "Links accelerate/Rendering a time zone/Moving in a mobile home."[7] As Sherburne analyzed, "it seems likely those arenn't double-wides he’s talking about, but rather our own peripatetic second homes, as we scuttle about like hyperconnected hermit crabs living out of our phones."[7]

Singles and music videos

On July 13, 2016, it was announced Motion Graphics was to be released on August 26, 2016 by British indie label

Idolator's column "Silent Shout", which covers non-accessible singles that "might" be pop music.[17] Also on July 13, the music video for "Lenses" was released,[18] and is an animated version of Motion Graphics' cover art illustrated by Culture Sport and designed by Rob Carmichael.[13][19]

On August 5, 2016 The Fader premiered "Anyware", the album's second single, and its music video, which was also by Culture Sport and involves the character from the artwork jogging in "a dancing bear DNA sequence."[6][20] Like "Lenses", "Anyware" also garnered a "Singles Going Steady" review from Popmatters, but this time it garnered mixed opinions from the critics and received an overall score of a 5.22 of out ten.[21] The third single, "Houzzfunction", was issued on August 24.[22] Its music video by Culture Sport was released on September 1,[23] and is a 360-degree video taking place in an "unfinished" landscape of neon-colored 3D polygon objects that surround the viewer.[3][23]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[24]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Medium6/10[25]
Mixmag7/10[26]
Mojo[24]
The Music[27]
Pitchfork8/10[7]
PopMatters[9]
Renowned for Sound[28]
Resident Advisor4.2/5[2]

Motion Graphics garnered very favorable reviews from

Allmusic review labeled Motion Graphics as "a highly intriguing album of warped bitstream pop."[1] The Wire called the record a "mesmerising debut", honoring its mixture of human and alien sound elements and Williams' vocal performance.[24] A reviewer for Renowned for Sound honored it as "a surprisingly easy listen for what is, at the heart of it, a difficult album."[28] He also spotlighted the "excellent use of layered sounds" on the album.[28] The reviewer's only criticism was Williams' vocals, calling them a "little too flat".[28] The Music praised Motion Graphics for properly balancing odd sound elements with "delicately layered instrumentation and semi-opaque lyricism."[27]

In a PopMatters review, Chris Ingalls recommend listeners to hear the LP on a very loud volume for its sound design, where the album is "abrasive yet lush, with a new sonic nugget to be discovered with each listen."[9] He also honored its "unique" atmosphere and "intense creative playfulness."[9] Sherburne wrote that the complex composition of the album is what made it "so vividly and so lovingly" from most vaporwave records. He called it a "breath of fresh air" for the vaporwave scene mainly due to its oxymoronic vibe, which was "simultaneously placid and disorienting, warm and chintzy" and "intimate and distant", that made "it a seductively unusual listening experience as warm as the surface of your laptop."[7] Motion Graphics landed on his year-end list for Pitchfork of the best electronic albums of the year.[10] It also ranked number 13 on Resident Adivsor's list of the best albums of 2016[30] and number 86 on another year-end list by Bandcamp Daily.[31] In a more mixed review, Ryo Miyauchi of Medium wrote, "While nothing of his self-titled album quite gives way to sticky enough songs, how Motion Graphics carefully handles his materials is still something to praise."[25]

Track listing

The following information adapted from the liner notes of Motion Graphics:[19]

Motion Graphics – Standard version[19]
No.TitleLength
1."Lense"3:47
2."Airdrop"0:39
3."Houzzfunction"3:20
4."Anyware"3:50
5."Minecraft Mosaic"3:13
6."Vistabrick"3:02
7."City Links"3:08
8."Forecast"1:31
9."Mezzotint Gliss"3:35
10."SoftBank Arcade" (Swiftcode Version)2:57
Total length:29:02
Motion Graphics – Digital download bonus tracks[32]
No.TitleLength
11."Mezzotint Gliss" (Instrumental)3:12
12."Softbank Arcade"2:47
Total length:35:01

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes of Motion Graphics[19]

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label
Worldwide August 26, 2016
Domino

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, Paul. "Motion Graphics – Motion Graphics" Archived 2016-11-08 at the Wayback Machine. AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Finlayson, Angus (August 30, 2016). "Motion Graphics – Motion Graphics". Resident Advisor. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Pearl, Max (September 13, 2016). "Breaking Through: Motion Graphics". Resident Advisor. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  4. ^
    Juno Plus
    . Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Joyce, Colin (August 24, 2016). "Motion Graphics Explores the Ecstasy and Agony of Our Relationship to Technology". THUMP. Vice Media. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  6. ^ a b D. Mcdermott, Patrick (August 5, 2016). "Motion Graphics's "Anyware" Video Is Probably From The Future" Archived 2016-11-13 at the Wayback Machine. The Fader. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  7. ^
    Conde Nast
    . Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  8. ^ Muggs, Joe (September 8, 2016). "Motion Graphics’ Debut Points to a Bright Future for American Electronic Music". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e Ingalls, Chris (August 22, 2016). "Motion Graphics: Motion Graphics" Archived 2016-12-22 at the Wayback Machine. PopMatters. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Sherburne, Phillip (December 8, 2016). "The 20 Best Electronic Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  11. ^ a b c "Motion Graphics' debut album channels the information overload of 2016". Hyponik. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  12. ^ Durston, Tom (September 5, 2016). "Motion Graphics: Avoiding Sentimentality and Nostalgia". Inverted Audio. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  13. ^ a b Minsker, Evan (July 13, 2016). "Motion Graphics (White Williams) Announces New Album, Shares New Video: Watch". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  14. ^ "Motion Graphics New Releases: Lense". Beatport. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  15. ^ "Singles Club: Justice do disco fromage and M.I.A. is a #problematicfave" Archived 2017-06-06 at the Wayback Machine. Fact. The Vinyl Factory. July 18, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  16. ^ "Motion Graphics – "Lense" (Singles Going Steady)". Popmatters. August 1, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  17. Idolator
    . Hive Media. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  18. ^ "Motion Graphics – Lense (Official Video)" Archived 2017-05-03 at the Wayback Machine. Domino Recording Company Official YouTube Channel. July 13, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  19. ^ a b c d e Motion Graphics (CD notes). Motion Graphics. Domino. 2016. WIGCD232.
  20. ^ "Motion Graphics New Releases: Anyware". Beatport. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  21. ^ "Motion Graphics – "Anyware" (Singles Going Steady)"". Popmatters. August 24, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  22. ^ "Motion Graphics New Releases: Houzzfunction". Beatport. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  23. ^ a b "New 360 degree Video for ‘Houzzfunction’". Domino Recording Company Official Website. September 1, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  24. ^ a b c "Reviews and Tracks for Motion Graphics by Motion Graphics". Metacritic. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  25. ^ a b Miyauchi, Ryo (October 23, 2017). "Listening: October 2017". Medium. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  26. ^ "September: 18 albums you need to hear this month". Mixmag. Development Hell Ltd. September 9, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  27. ^ a b Addenbrooke, Nic (August 19, 2016). "Motion Graphics – Motion Graphics". The Music. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  28. ^ a b c d Benfield, Haydon (August 25, 2016). "Album Review: Motion Graphics – Motion Graphics". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  29. ^ Lynch, John (August 30, 2016). "The 7 best albums you probably missed this month" Archived 2017-03-12 at the Wayback Machine. Business Insider. Axel Springer SE. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  30. ^ "RA Poll: Top 20 albums of 2016". Resident Advisor. December 12, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  31. ^ "The Best Albums of 2016: #100 – 81". Bandcamp Daily. December 5, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  32. ^ a b "Motion Graphics by Motion Graphics". iTunes Store. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  33. ^ Motion Graphics (Vinyl notes). Motion Graphics. Domino. 2016. WIGLP232.
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