RFC Reviews: Gayngs' Relayted

Over the years I’ve grown quite fond of 10cc’s “I’m Not In Love” . The song’s smooth, slow-jam style immediately registered with me as one of those ‘awesomely bad’ songs that were so overly touted a few years ago.  Honestly, it’s a pretty strange song. Thematically, it’s all about lust mired by sentimentality. Musically, it characterizes the kind of soft-focus cheese that is often associated with adult films. It’s a good bit of Lite Rock smarm, but frankly, that sentimentally prevents the song from really crossing the line into overtly sexy territory. Like, it may be sexy enough to soundtrack the lead-up to some steamy scene from the Emmanuelle series, but surely not the scene itself.

I would like to think that Gayngs’ brainchild, Ryan Olson, had this in mind when he conceived of a record ‘exclusively inspired’ by “I’m Not In Love”. I hope he analyzed 10cc’s sonic template and thought, "This is pretty hot, but it could use a little sexin’ up”.

By bolstering a weirdly strong framework with bigger, fatter beats, copious amounts of back alley saxophone, and a murky sea of raspy falsetto, a sexin’ up is exactly what Gayngs has achieved. I suppose adding those three elements to any song would likely have sexy results. However, there were 20+ seemingly like-minded musicians (including members of Bon Iver, Solid Gold, Megafun, The Rosebuds, and the great P.O.S) revolving around the recording of Relayted. I think having so many cooks in the kitchen actually ratcheted up the sexin’, causing what could have been an ironic throwback to become one of the hottest (if you know what I mean) records of the year.

Gayngs -Crystal Rope

Relayted writhes with undulating synthesizer and over-sized Yacht Rock guitar noodling. Its songs are a Softcore producer’s wet dream. I could see any one of them providing the perfect score to all sorts of erotic activities. “The Gaudy Side Of Town” elicits images of a couple of big city businessfolk getting nasty in the alley behind some Nu-Wave club. The tribal skronk of “False Bottom” makes me think of a savage romping on the Rainforest floor. "Crystal Rope" brings to mind the kind of sensual basking a pair of lovers might indulge in on a lazy Sunday afternoon… and so on.

I would likely enjoy any record that causes me to conjure such graphic imagery, but I especially enjoy Relayted because it wears its intentions on its sleeve and never forgets that, as with most great ideas, it probably began as a joke. Of course, it has its share of shortcomings. Gayngs’ smoky aesthetic and tendency to meander through long passages of repetition can sometimes dampen the songs a bit of their individuality. But that’s a minor complaint. Relayted isn’t necessarily meant to be taken in small doses anyway. It’s meant to be taken as a whole just like the red-hot love of a good man or woman.

Comments

[Amber]

John, you KNOW I agree! I'm anxious to see how many of us put this on our best albums of 2010 lists. Right now, it's #3 for me and I can't imagine it dropping any lower.

[John]

Easy contender for #1 or #2 album of the year, hands down. The stories of creating it are hilarious and completely intriguing.