Shadowdog
by tirestires
Shadowdog is, without a shadow (heh) of a doubt, my favourite album of all time. It is an absolute chaotic experience, one that leaves me wondering how the hell this was even produced and praying for the poor computer that had to process the project files when the tracks were being produced and exported. The soundscape is packed, layers upon layers of sound going on, threading the needle on becoming yet another "good idea, but way too confusing to ever enjoy", but never getting there. And that's where I see one of the major strenghts of this album: it's dazzlingly maximalist, but still somewhat accessible.
tirestires ended up deleting the bandcamp page for the record and started what is very likely an attempt of sorts to disappear from the internet, at least under that name. Nevertheless, he left some traces behind: a couple of songs on some old bandcamp pages, going simply by tires, and a bunch of demos for this album (which are actually very far detached from the final result, being singer-songwriter songs instead of the Hypnagogic Pop found here). The whole story can be found online, but the motives were never fully established. If I have to guess though, I would say the themes described throughout the whole albums through the absolutely washed out, incomprehensible without a sheet cheat by your side lyrics are a pretty big reason. Apparently it's supposed to be a fictional story told through the first person, but, personally, I don't think it's a complete work of imagination. Of course, getting an album that deals with themes of child pornography, revenge porn, and sexual deviancy tracked back to you isn't exactly desirable.
However, what is a better sign of the times than this? In a society supposedly open about sex and sexuality, a young man finds himself free to speak about his experiences and traumas, only to back out of it as soon as he realizes that maybe this openness isn't exactly that open, especially if you dare speak about the unspeakable (which will always continue to exist, relishing its existence in the silence of false moralists).
But enough philosophic wankery, Shadowdog is an amazing album, and quite a short listen, which I absolutely recommend to everyone. It is a one of a kind album that I hold extremely dear to me, and a true underated, little known gem.
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