Headboggle – Polyphonic Demo

Artist: Headboggle
Title: Polyphonic Demo
Keywords: americana electronic experimental classical electronica industrial noise synthwave Oakland
Label: Ratskin Records http://www.ratskin.org/

Like a loyal dog following the directions of Ratskin Records, I hopped over to a page featuring the head boggling ‘polyphonic demo’ by Headboggle. First impression when I saw that it contained 44 tracks? Almost falling over in some kind of state of terror! I just had a bad experience with an album full of demos and outtakes and didn’t really know if I could handle it all over again with 44 tracks – it might push me over the limits in order to tosh myself out of the window for a wingless flight towards the hard concrete below it… its harsh, but honest to goth that’s what I thought.

…but than I looked at the artwork and thought; this might be deliciously psychedelic – maybe even mathematical? also something in my mind was reminding me that this was out on the label that brought us the very enjoyable AB-RA-CA-DEB-RA album by Big Debbie many years ago… my mind almost went in some kind of ecstasy zone just by sipping up the memories of listening to that album… that was so good, this cannot be shit!

I looked at the 44 tracks again and noticed that all of them had been a minute in length long; forty-four minutes of demo music? I might just be able to pull it off! So I opened the window a bit, inhaled some pollution, closed it again and started to blast the music by Headboggle on loud volume… fingers crossed…

…. guess what? The demos as spoken here on the cover wasn’t reflecting to unfinished song ideas, or to album outtakes that just didn’t had it to make it; it was more in the sense of incredible demo tunes that you would hope to hear when you are checking out the sounds of a synthesiser. Mostly they would sound crap, but this here? These 44 demo tunes? Oh my goodness! One by one are so much fun, so incredible, outstanding; you almost want to rob a bank for it in order to search and obtain the instrument responsible for these sounds! I hope that Headboggle has some sponsoring going on as this release could sell synthesisers to an whole new generation!

Oh, yes this all sounded so nice! Like a stumbling synth orgasm after synth orgasm, slowly slumbering around touching the ears in all its warm pleasant ways, with a melodic synth twist after another. Friendly things that came over me like a hug and a cuddle; what an immediate surprising surprise! 44 tracks of this won’t be an nuisance but an overwhelming shot of welcoming music bits. Things to get extremely enthusiastic about, so full of materials that you simply would want to pull your friends and enemies by their arms and bother them with it forever, until they give it all a listen only to shut your enthusiastic ramblings up. (For a bit)

All these one minute cutie pies are actually ideal to hear for people with short attention spans or simply for the ones that can go into full-on orgasm mode in such a quick speed; good luck to anyone coming 44 times in one go though; but if it is possible, than Polyphonic Demos could push you through it. An whole array of mostly extravagant synthesiser works that are of melodic and mysterious kindhearted kind, all different in style, crafting an hunger for each and every single one of them. It felt to me a bit like opening the boxes of an advent calendar; you simply never know what to expect behind each track title, but you know it’s good and you so wished to hear more from it than the one single minute that these demos are providing. You know these kind of small sized chocolates that taste nice but melt away on your tongue straight away only leaving you begging for more? – that is this but than with synth music!

I especially enjoyed hopping along on the Hopalong Patch and humming away with the siren phonics, but in general this full on album of scientific music tests had basically a moment suited for any possible mood, time or day that you’d could possible see yourself in. It’s a bit like those build in demos that you get to hear when you check out a synthesiser, but with the excellent difference that all the sounds and demo tunes are actually tremendously good. I couldn’t be bothered finding out with which instrument Headboggle had been composing all these one hit wonders on, but if this info was provided I could certainly see them suddenly selling the synth as if it was tasty sandwiches; who could possibly resist these skilful sounds and mostly joyful melodic expressions?

The experimental tests of sound expression suitable for any possible circumstances could please an audience from all over the entire spectrum of age groups. A spike in sales it could generate like a happy storm at sea! I certainly couldn’t resist any of it, happily surprised and above all; joyfully entertained!

It made me think of listening to synth demos , hearing them is always a complete different deal than actually playing and trying to tame the instrument yourself. I know some people that had just used their synths to simply listen to the demo tunes and never attempt to make music with the gentle machines themselves. They would just press play and dance with joy around their pretentious practically unused music studio on the demo tunes provided. Crazy, right?

But with the ‘polyphonic demo’ by Headboggle there is simply no need for such an expensive buy of an actual synthesiser as you’d just purchase the album for 7 lousy dollars and you will be able to hear the most pleasurable demo tunes that you could possible imagine. In fact your joy would go well with the happy sound of ‘skippy shifts’ (another excellent happiness inducer on the album!) .. also non synthesiser sounds might sometimes pop up on the record, also satisfying your need in order to show how the synth sound will stand its ground when laced up with a piano or a guitar.

The 44 minutes covers basically everything you could possible imagine, from avantgarde, to happy go lucky children music, animal sound effects, sporting soundscapes, sci-fi timed movie sound tracks, game moments, and even some harsh noise; this Headboggle had pushed the synth limits to the max and the result is an everybody pleaser full of delicious surprises! A true affordable winner that gives a positively good meaning to the word ‘demo’ once again! It’s honestly things like this that makes listening and experiencing music so much fun! Check out the 44 minutes of enthusiastic making synthesiser joy:
https://ratskinrecords.bandcamp.com/album/polyphonic-demo
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