Stream: James Ferraro’s new project Bodyguard
James Ferraro’s aesthetic—a deconstructed electronic pop that’s theoretically stripped of all pretense, but loaded with really deep and thought out arrangements—easily falls flat on its face. If the tongue-in-cheek humor doesn’t connect, it sounds like a joke gone bad. In Ferraro’s case, the punchline would get lost in an ambient haze. That wasn’t often the case with Ferraro on his last LP, Far Side Virtual, which synthesized his sound as precisely as possible. It was a warm and engaging album, one of my favorites from last year.
His latest project, under the nom de plume Bodyguard, doesn’t quite live up to the older material. The songs seem to lack playfulness, but aren’t focused enough to wrap in the listener. I suppose mix tapes aren’t meant to be totally realized documents, but after his recent successes, Bodyguard just feels flat.
Listen to the 14-song mix tape below. But to be true to Ferraro’ talents, don’t use this as your measuring stick.
—Josh
Writer / co-founder
