| Freeplay
Every
week, Freeplay will cover the best
free albums and EPs
to be found on the
World Wide Web.
Liger
The Infra-Ordinary
(Beat is Murder, 2005)
By Cassie Hood
hoodc@mscd.edu
A
liger is the result of breeding a male lion with a female
tiger, and despite Napoleon
Dynamite’s belief, it is not bred for its
magical powers. The hybrid cat is an abnormality
in the animal world and it is no surprise
the band Liger proves to be as much
as an oddity in the music world.
Dino Spiluttini creates childlike melodies
using various instruments, such as a
music box or a ukulele, and then he melds
them into something completely different
using digital technology. The end result is
unsettling, yet captivating. His mellow, but
sometimes whiny voice reaches points close
to shrieking, while his “indietronic”—how
he describes his music—harmonies play in
the background.
Liger’s release, The Infra-Ordinary,
provides a sampling of startling screeches, somnolent,
but high-pitched vocals and uncanny
noises. “Temporary Happy Ending” starts
with what sounds like a car engine running
backwards. The multitracked vocals combine
out-of-tune whines with squeaks and
deep-throated wailing. The upbeat drum
rhythm gives the illusion the mood has
settled, and suddenly, it changes into something
else. Spiluttini seems far away and
robotic at the end of the song, giving it a
dreamy tone, with feelings of drunkenness
and confusion.
“
A Man Asleep” begins with a fl oor
creaking and whispering followed by white
noise. A distorted ukulele plays a soft melody
and is joined by a dissonant violin. The
song eases the mind with exhausted, forced
vocals. Spiluttini sounds bored and tired
as he whimpers softly.
Suddenly, a squeak comes from nowhere
and the song slightly intensifi es. The
result is a sonic illustration of what insomnia
must feel like. Beauty comes in brief spurts
when the violin harmonizes with Spiluttini’s
vocals, but it is destroyed when both go out
of tune.
Each track on the album differs from
the one before it. “Not in my Palace” is slow
and deliberate; it lacks the frantic spooky
noises that can be found in other songs. A
violin provides the framework while Spiluttini
sings deeply, yet lightly. His voice is
filled with pain and remorse.
The EP ends with a distorted music
box that sounds like a scratched CD being
played over and over again. Barely audible
voices murmur in the background. An engine
rumbles with out-of-tune notes playing
from the digitally created broken music
box. It’s all over so quickly it leaves the desire
for more.
Spiluttini’s mix of electronic and
folk offers something bizarre, but exciting. The
songs are full of surprises, with strange
noises and tones popping up in completely
unexpected places. Sometimes the album
is unsettling. At other times, it appeases
and sedates the mind. Despite the varied
moods, the EP fi ts together well and manages
to stay interesting throughout.
Liger’s The Infra-Ordinary can be downloaded from
http://www.beatismurder.com
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