If I can reiterate anything I've said in this blog, it's that minimalism is the new theatrics. This has recently become more apparent with electronic music. Songs don't need words to create an impact on the listener, but they also don't need screaming instruments distorted into catatonia or the occasional scream to wake you up if you've become bored. Yes, I once yawned during a fast-paced house song, and I'm not afraid to say it. Minimalism is interesting. The current master of minimalism and all things electronic for that matter is Nicolas Jaar, dominating with the track "Keep Me There."
Beginning with the low hum of a bass voice repeating the same lowly rhythm, you almost see a line of slave labor before you; they hum as they work. A few melancholy instruments enter the arrangement, almost the soundtrack to an independent movie that appears so dramatic and impossible in the previews that it goes on to win an Oscar for best original screenplay. Soon there is a yawn from my favourite corner of the orchestra; the horns (I'm not that's a real section, but it should be). Once the song ends, you might feel confused, and if you're like my brother, disturbed. "Keep Me There" could also be the soundtrack to an artistic horror movie that focuses more on atmosphere than blood and guts. It takes a few straight listens to get the bigger picture in your head. Be patient, this song will keep you there.
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