Boy Eats Drum Machine is Portland singer, producer, songwriter, visual artist and multi-instrumentalist Jon Ragel. Hoop + Wire, BEDM's newest full-length, is masterfully-designed, pure post-pop bliss. Disparate ideas and sweeping themes bob and weave throughout Hoop + Wire's 38 minutes to form aural landscapes--not surprising, since the album was dreamed up on a drive across the United States. Sweeping symphonic samples receive treatments of bombastic organic percussion both traditional and of the Foley variety, while the lyrical content reveals both introspective and dark passages. Assorted layers come together in grand fashion through BEDM's cohesive tales of envy, bravado and challenge. The title track, "Hoop + Wire", springboards into a jangly exploration of jealousy, while a fire closes in on "Constellation". The Starkness of the dry Southwest becomes palpable in "ABQ", and "Syncopation" observes love caught in the passing of time. "Gold In The Hills" expores one man's failure to scratch out a living, while "Lolo Forest" draws a romantic circle through Montana, Colorado and Coastal California. After "We Make Our Own Light" glimmers, "The Pieces Fit Together and Never Fall Apart" thwarts depression, and "Mr. Train" struts across a hustling landscape. The album races to a close with "New Mexico To Old Arizona" and the exposed closure of "70 Miles An Hour". Boy Eats Drum Machine is a special breed of multi-diciplined solo artist, enthusiastically interactive in his approach to his craft. Ragel prolifically chronicles his writing and recording process on his website. He takes the stage as Boy Eats Drum Machine with a saxophone, turntable, microphone, sampler and green tom drum. Ragel's clear voice sails over his expert jams, often causing show-goers to dance, sway and otherwise become transfixed. And right there at the merch booth after the show is Ragel, showing you the vintage LP covers he repurposes by hand-screening his own artwork on. Yes, we would love for you to write about his music, his process--yes, he is serious, and seriously fun. |
