Joy Orbison – The Shrew Would Have Cushioned the Blow
Does he think he’s Fiona Apple or something?…
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[7.11]
Pete Baran: I wonder if my positive reaction to Joy Orbison last year is making me like these tracks more than I would otherwise? It is often hard to get a sense of the ongoing personality of tracks like this, but there is a vibe to “The Shrew…” which reminds me of the tightrope early Biosphere tracks walked between being fascinating listens and effective repetitive dance numbers. This seems less danceable than previous Joy Orbison tracks, but a much more interesting listen. And I think I could confidently spot a Joy Orbison track now, which is even more interesting.
[8]
Michaelangelo Matos: He can rework his basic trick as many times as he likes, as long as he keeps finding new ways to turn it, and here he does it again. This builds slowly, then suspends itself, growing lovelier as the elements build and recede, with a dead simple, perfectly calibrated bass line carrying everything like it’s nothing.
[8]
Martin Skidmore: I can’t see it converting any non-fans or grabbing a big audience, but I think it’s gorgeous and rather compelling.
[9]
Edward Okulicz: I’m not sure whether this is really less kinetic or compelling than the previous two singles, but it seems like it right now. If we occasional dabblers of dance adopt the maxim that when it comes to an artist whose tracks are all so similar that you need only keep the best one, I’m pretty sure this one will get thrown away.
[5]
Matt Cibula: I might have been the only one around here who didn’t do backflips over “Hyph Mngo,” but this one is almost infinitely better to my ears, my heart, and my ass.
[8]
Mallory O’Donnell: 2010 seems to be the year in which everyone is playing it safe, so it comes as no surprise that the J.O. is giving us filtered fem vox over punchy, crunchy drum patterns. It’s quite sad when the most exciting thing about a track is its title, but at his boring worst Monsieur Orbison beats the boring best of many a producer. Now, mein freund, let’s see some actual excitement.
[5]
Alex Macpherson: As much as I think the global bass scene and its representatives are the source of some of the most exciting developments in electronic music right now, &c &c &c, I’ve never been as high on Joy Orbison as most. “Shrew…” reprises the cut-up vocals and sleek atmospherics of “Hyph Mngo” to aimlessly pretty effect; it’s fine, but producers like Ikonika, Subeena, Guido, Jam City and Girl Unit are all able to genuinely thrill me more than once out of the blocks, and you should be paying more attention to them than Joy Orbison.
[6]
Anthony Easton: Gorgeous, extended, skittering, and the ooh woo noises more like a warning, less like disaster.
[7]
Kat Stevens: It’s a rubbish aspect of modern society that most of us don’t see the sunrise unless we haven’t been to bed yet, and even then we have to deal with the horrendously confusing aspect of whether it counts as ‘tomorrow’ or not if sleep hasn’t been involved somewhere. This tune might not solve the conundrum but it would definitely assist the mental state of anyone perplexed by such matters.
[8]