This listener is staying with the first impression of a young fellow from New Hampshire (who studied in South Africa) and has two songs with the word “dinosaur” in the title. Zachary Ulysses Campbell Wilson’s MySpace page shows that he works from St. Petersburg, Florida now. He is something of a catch-me-if-you- can musician/producer.
“Boy Legend” is a fascinating effort and benefits from excellent production. Campbell (Wilson?) emphasizes that he makes “8-bit trance electronica.” No argument there. In addition, the creativity displayed on such tunes as “I’m in the Wild” make it unlikely that his past work will get in the way of his new work. “Dance or Die” is an attention-getting piece of work. Not being a dancer, I can’t say that the song moved me to get on my feet, but it will do so with many, I am sure.
He carries a healthy attitude about the big-music business, because he says that labels are for suckers. To repeat: That’s a good start in the music business today. He also provides the “mouth, strings, hands, old computers, keys” for the Ulysses Campbell collection. It would be difficult to change the opinion that with influences as diverse, yet consistent, as Entre Rios, Weezy F Baby, Nico, Patrick Wolf etc., this effort will find a certain target audience outside the mainstream.
I disagree with a couple of reviews that call this a “band,” however. This is a one-man, single-artist compilation. Let’s call it that, because, after all, this is about what is going on in the guy’s head. Friday should convince a growing audience that they are hearing someone who recognizes the scary/wonderful world we live in. Check out “Final Boss” on MySpace if you have doubts about that.
[tags]ulysses campbell[/tags]
