I shared my appreciation of Michael Ferentino's Bedtime for Robots/Blade Runner-ish submission, "Godliness" in June. Well, the artistic mastermind has done it again, with a spellbinding, Grimes Elf Tech A.I. collaboration called "Shank." This "Shank" is, in fact, a variant of a track from Ferentino's vivifying Lamashtu (see March '23 post).
Marcus Noble's forlorn image, which initiates this post, emboldens the redux's implied theme: a wee droid kept from the big, fleshy world, waiting to cut through the controversial, red tape to find his inevitable place. The composition's accompanying vocals (crooned through female simulation, with a siren's haunting draw) describe the cloistered position of accepting one's lot in life, of having no shame, of understanding one's pain, through empathetic lyrics that only Ferentino could arrange.
Ferentino's catchy melody (the careful, collaborative construction of funky warbles) make the artist a partial Geppeto of sorts, as he invokes a "real live," audio Pinocchio. As such, the tune's exquisite stream allows his musical puppet to dance, but in this instance, with no strings attached. Ah, the miracle of creation, even if artificial!
As I listened to this new "Shank" (savoring its intoxicating groove), I couldn't help but think of the extrapolated wonders that predicted its advent: those darling drones of Silent Running, those cosmic cuties of *batteries not included, that Collodi-esque lad of A.I., not to mention, one of the earliest imaginings of constructed cognition, Clash of the Titan's Bubo the Owl. But in this instance, the electronic heart and soul are bracketed by a quixotic deepness that only the human condition can convey.
Whether one classifies the Grimes-geared "Shank" as organic, synthetic or a little of both, there's undeniable cheer in its melancholic plea, for it exudes a sincerity that dares one to envision an expressive future. Thanks to trailblazing Ferentino (and Grimes Elf Tech A.I.), the proof is in the pudding or make that, the listening.
The neo "Shank" can be found at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY39oqBpsuA
and the original version at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPZr-MaZMsI
No comments:
Post a Comment