Let’s Get Married by Elk
LABEL: Shape Up Records

Let’s Get Married is the brainchild of bedroom producer, Elk. Behind the pseudonym is Brooklyn resident Justin Stein. Following the success of his 2009 EP, Honey Ranger, Stein’s latest piece is an eccentric endeavor (understatement of the year) that checks off nearly every genre at one point or another.

Let’s Get Married contains an enigmatic aura that constantly swirls and alters itself into a collection of throbbing electronics. The album opens with the title track, a song that sounds like it’s about to burst into a Irish Riverdancing sequence, but instead turns into a pulsating reverberation of the Animal Collective variety; furthermore, “Let’s Get Married” introduces a communal—somewhat tribal—theme that Stein oft-excels in. Listeners will feel like foreigners watching in on some bizarre ritual. Stein creates the sort of unconventional sound that’s just too hard to resist, no matter how badly you’d like to not listen to it.

Elk’s ‘flaws’ are also his strengths. The juxtaposition of chill wave inspired sound with Latin rhythms found in Merengue (“Rollerbladin”) may not seem like the most appealing of collocations, but damn, it’s catchy. The transitions aren’t necessarily the smoothest in Let’s Get Married, but they’re unbelievably charming. The bedroom scene in the music world is exploding to unfathomable sizes, so Justin Stein’s work is indicative of a DIY revolution that’s creating alluring, exciting music every day.

An aspect of Let’s Get Married that may get underappreciated is Stein’s limited, but sincere lyricism. In the title track, Stein voices an unrequited affection, “I just want you.” Throughout the album, there are a number of moments of intimacy. Stein’s approach to producing and songwriting is a sweeping effort. Through the use of bedroom recording, Stein makes the most with the least.

With its chanting, heavy percussion, and likable repetition, Let’s Get Married is playful and serious in its demeanor; it’s a contradiction of sound and ideas melding into one radical, exhaustive effort. One that’ll surely stick in listeners’ heads.


REVIEWED BY ADRIAN ROJAS
ADRIAN’S FAVORITE TRACKS: “Let’s Get Married” • “Rollerbladin” • “Moonjellies”
Read more from Adrian on his blog, On the Importance of Being Rash


FREE MP3: “Volleyball” (right-click & save)
FREE MP3: “Let’s Get Married” (right-click & save)
FREE MIXTAPE: “Snow Mix” from Elk