Todd Terje, “Alfonso Muskedunder”

by Alexandra Molotkow

One thing I believe that not everyone believes is that new people are getting better and better. Like, the physical world is getting worse, but the people in it are smarter and probably more empathetic. This latest generation is way better than my generation! People just four years younger than me belong here way more than I ever will, for obvious reasons. (They were born the year Mariah Carey debuted).

Evidence: cool, weird musical blips from the ’60s and ’70s (White Noise, United States of America, Wendy and Bonnie, a prillion library recordings I can’t name), some of them more ideas than projects, re-purposed into amazingly listenable and prolific pop bands in the ’90s and beyond (Broadcast, Stereolab). Todd Terje comes out of a different context, but he does something similar, I think, making cohesive and more permanent music out of great ideas that never got to the “thing” stage.

Which is NOT to suggest that Todd Terje is better than Laetitia Sadier or Trish Fucking Keenan. Just, isn’t it great that we get to enjoy more old ephemera than ever.

Anyway !