There is nothing like hearing one of your dearest records being mangled, having its meaning inverted until it becomes the butt of its own joke. And so begins Abridged Too Far, a remarkable audio/ musical collage that opens with Uri Gellar (yes the guy who bent spoons) on his classic 1974 self titled new age album rabbiting on pretty much nonsensically about ‘nothing’ until he himself becomes ‘nothing.’ It’s pretty funny. Some would argue that the album was ‘nothing’ to begin with, and it’s possible this is a statement about this kitsch curiosity.
People Like Us is British artist Vicki Bennett, who has been working in audio and visual collage since 1991 and is a pioneer in found sound, appropriation and sampling. What’s fascinating is her periodic use of incredibly well known pop cultural artefacts, such as Frank Sinatra’s ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’, which she somehow merges with The Girl From Ipanema, and Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be) amongst numerous other pieces seamlessly. She utilises fragments, allowing us to recognise it, yet withholding gratification of the full phrase, and her use of repetition is both cheeky and downright hysterical. It’s brimming with humour in both her sound sources and how she uses them
The title track is a case in point. It is positively demented, where yodelling meets, pan flute, redneck scat and grocery shopping and a relentless earworm tune that more than likely will have you in tears by the end, it might be of laughter of frustration, possibly about the inability to keep it out of your head.
This collection was initially released in digital-only form in 2004. It includes Vicki’s John Peel session and performances for WFMU, amongst others, both from 2003. This the first time it has appeared on vinyl.
While the humour is ever present, there’s also the odd moment of unexpected poignancy, and it’s her ability (and desire) to switch between the two that forces you to realise the sheer artistry at play here. Her ability to shoehorn all these disparate sound sources into coherent (ish) albeit slightly demented songs is incredible, and whilst initially you may choose to play the trainspotting game, very quickly you forget about who constructed it and how and just give yourself to the music, as these are some pretty experimental constructions right here.
