On one hand, we got “#Beautiful,” a bland pop song by Mariah Carey on an otherwise pretty fantastic pop album. On the other, we have the bouncy “Beautiful” by A. G. Cook, the man behind the incredible PC Music imprint. If Mariah’s track seduces you into the pop domain through its syrupy hooks and breezy summer vibe, A. G. Cook’s track awkwardly sneaks you in through the backdoor. But unlike previous PC Music releases, A. G. Cook doesn’t overtly play with or “subvert” pop tropes here; he straight-up embodies them. I’m tempted to call this unabashed embodiment weirder, a hyperreal, post-simulation process that gives a renewed edge to optimism and reinvigorates clichés. But why would I? The music coming out of PC Music is refractory stuff, slipping in and out of your brain and infecting your nervous system in not-so-easily-irreducible ways that, at the very least, make you think, “Damn, I could really fuck with pop music these days!”
• A. G. Cook: http://agcook.tumblr.com
• PC Music: http://pcmusic.info
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