Evan Mast is known for a lot of things in the music world; for years, he made high-energy electro-rock as part of the duo Ratatat, and that’s probably the lead story on his resumé. But then again, he’s also worked with Jay-Z, Kanye, Kid Cudi, and many many others, and runs a record label with his brother that has signed many artists who will themselves probably find a spot on this blog one day.
This week, we’re going to listen to a song from his recent solo record under the name E.VAX, Just Like Fire, in which Mast built tracks around samples from songs he listened to in his formative years. The track is called “Say” and it features vocal samples from a song I also loved in my formative years: “Lovefool” by previous BSOTW artist The Cardigans.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. On this track and the others on Just Like Fire, there’s a great contrast between melodic guitar lines (relatively far back in the mix) and the abrasive, frenetic drums (very much at the forefront of the mix). This contrast makes the whole album feel urgent but soft and dreamlike.
2. The guitars at 2:33 have a great lo-fi quality that makes them sound straight out of Mike Oldfield.
3. The re-contextualising of the vocals is fantastic. The original Cardigans song is campy and upbeat, and the vocals are delivered in a way that suggests the singer is lovestruck and coquettish. But the way E.VAX chops the vocals and places them in front of a more plaintive chord progression makes the singer sound truly heartbroken. One moment in particular – on “say that you need me” at 0.30 – the way the vocals are cut off right as the singer breaks into a chuckle magically turns that chuckle into a sob.
Recommended listening activity:
Grabbing a Sharpie and re-purposing a Valentine’s Day card into a Get Well Soon Card.