God I love it when a band has a concept. On the one hand can appreciate "Ader," by London quartet Landshapes, as a sly sliver of indie-pop, perfect for soundtracking a day skipping down the beach and falling in the waves. Guitars shimmer like early tunes from The Walkmen, but with a psych-pop spin, while singer Luisa Gerstein's vocals communicate a carefree sweetness tinged with melancholy. My Mom always tell me we all die alone in the end and here too, Gerstein echoes this sad sentiment.And that's the thing, listen a little harder and the upbeat grooves belie a darker core. It's a song inspired by the work of 70s artist Bas Jan Ader. One of his projects is titled I'm Too Sad to Tell You. The series features three black and white shorts centered around close ups of the artist's face, tears rolling down his cheeks, plus still photographs and a selection of postcards on which the title was scribbled. Imagine receiving that in the mail! You'd be bereft. Moreover, the reason for his melancholy remains a total mystery."People have speculated over what he’s sad about," says Luisa. "That it could be the absolute loneliness of all humans and that you can never completely know another person.”Copyright the Estate of Bas Jan Ader / Mary Sue Ader-Andersen, 2015 / The Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of Meliksetian | Briggs, Los Angeles.
She continues: "His final project was called Searching For The Miraculous—he built a little sailboat, said goodbye to his wife, and sailed across the Atlantic. But he never made it and his boat was found several years later in Ireland, washed up.”Christ, this is about to plunge me into an existential crisis and the tissue box by my computer is already empty. Nevertheless there's a real beauty to a song that puts a spring in your step—not to mention a cool video starring an exuberant dancer—but when you look a little closer, all is not quite what it seems.Landshapes second album Heyooon is out now on Bella Union.
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