Kowloon and the cracked surreal 'anti-pop' pop swim of "Hollywood is Under Water"

 

"this ain't no Hollywood dream"

Hollywood has lost it's sheen, that's for sure. Ultimately that is a good thing. For decades it was the place where the impressionable would flock to in hopes of being discovered but it is, was always, a façade as stupid and vapid as record company agent's come-overs and audaciously large boob jobs. Luckily, a lot of that drug induced coma of idiocy has decreased...at least a little bit. The horrible machine is still churning but now those who partake do so (hopefully) with eyes open.

I thought about all this while listening to Kowloon's surreal swim "Hollywood is Under Water". The vibe is deceptively minimal in the best way, with bending synth lines and sort of 80's plastic tones resulting in a pop groove that almost suggests Cliff Huxtable dancing in a multi-colored sweater but the biggest hook is Kowloon's voice and those killing lyrics. The acerbic musician, singer-songwriter, producer and filmmaker based in L.A. has a vocal aesthetic that is rich in tone and texture. When he utters his words you notice. Everyone has their decade and mine is hooked into the 70's and Kowloon's vocal tone reminds me of that period. A time when you could argue that voices seemed more resonant and full of emotional edges whether serious or comedic or in between. For whatever reason I thought of Harry Nilsson a bit here and, like Nilsson, Kowloon's atmosphere here is swimming in a seal of surreality disguised as a funk pop diss.

Hollywood is Under Water who will tell me how to dress

Hollywood is under water who will teach me how to kiss

The track is from Kowloon's debut album, "Come Over" [35 minutes of danceable love songs - albeit love songs set in a time of digital malaise and looming ecological catastrophe, with anxious, dread-filled lyrics that are as timely as they are post-apocalyptic] which he wrote, performed (in total), recorded and mixed in his home studio leaning on vintage synths, drum machines and his view of his world through cracked rose colored glasses.

-Robb Donker Curtius

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Kowloon is a musician and filmmaker from Los Angeles, California. His debut album, ‘Come Over’, was written, performed, recorded and mixed in his home-studio in the industrial outskirts of the city. Blending vintage synths, drum machines, and bubbling bass lines with vocals inspired equally by The Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, and Sly Stone, ‘Come Over’ is 35 minutes of danceable love songs - albeit love songs set in a time of digital malaise and looming ecological catastrophe, with anxious, dread-filled lyrics that are as timely as they are post-apocalyptic.

Kowloon, singer-songwriter, musician, filmmaker, producer, Los Angeles, new album, "Come Over", digital malaise, danceable love songs