The Genius Of…. Apollo XXI by Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy’sGrammy nominatedApollo XXImay not be a decades-old gem of the sort that this feature usually covers, but the importance of Steve Lacy and this 2019 album in encouraging a new generation of guitarists and musicians should not be understated.

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Lacy’s debut solo album followed his years as the guitarist of the band The Internet which he joined in 2013 at only 15 years old, upon which he would write and produce songs on his iPhone using an IK Multimedia iRig to get his guitar into his device. His first solo EP,Steve Lacy’s Demo, was also solely written and produced on his iPhone.

In an interview withCarhartt早在2018年，Lacy承认iPhone是“当时我所拥有的一切”，他继续说。“感谢人们，他们为我的笔记本电脑和我现在使用的其他装备付款。但是有时候，如果我拥有的话，就像是的，我仍然会这样做。但这不是我创建的主要方式。”
WhileApollo XXIwas shaped using a more professional recording and production set up, his DIY influences can still be felt, which is something that made and still makes Lacy such a notable guitarist and musician.

Versatility is key

蕾丝（Lacy）的多功能性尽管写作和生产Apollo XXIbetween the ages of 19-21 is considerably inspiring. From the twangy sitar heard in opener除非, to the slapped bass in操场, to the punky rhythmic groove inHate CD, the versatility and breadth contained in a 12-track album is impressive, and can certainly be credited to the amount of time it took to construct the album. Lacy admitted to Zane Lowein his Apple Music podcastthat a large part of this had to do with being tied up with The Internet.

“With me being such a free spirit and making stuff with so many people and being in a band, I leave very little time for myself,” says Lacy. “So, it was really two years freely making music, because that’s what I do in my free time and then one month of curating and then finishing when I was on the road with the band. I couldn’t really finish. By brain wasn’t in the creative space because I was on tour, so I was just making the folder of potential ideas. That folder had about 50 songs ideas and beats so when I got back and had that one-month break, that’s when I had to curate my museum, and that’s what happened.”

A museum,Apollo XXIcertainly is. The heavy bass inGuide，专辑中的第五首曲目，让人联想到00年代初期Red Hot Chili Peppers, whileLove 2 Fasttakes listeners on a sonic journey through the dreamy soft-pop of the guitar that made a sudden resurgence as the Gen-Z listenership gained their musical autonomy.Apollo XXI感觉像是过去和现在的音乐集，从灵魂到R＆B，再到朋克，再到流行音乐，穿过少年神童的镜头，这在首张专辑中实现并不容易。

Fuelling a generation

What started off as a new means to create music, resulted in the birth of a new generation of composition for the newest generation of music fans. Lacy cannot be solely credited for the boom of Bedroom Pop, but he is certainly one of the founding fathers. While the building blocks of the genre stem from how the music is created, there is a certain intimacy is the resulting product as it provides artist with an autonomy to follow their own musical direction, rather than that of producers and record labels, something that is apparent fromApollo XXI, even though this album was created in a studio.

A track where this flair is brought to the fore isBasement Jack。虽然看似简短的曲调，但莱西的主权指导自己的音乐尤其明显，因为我们听到与未来派合成器和沉重的鼓声一起听到漩涡状的指纹。操场, the third track on the album, which was initially released as a single alongsideN Side, continues this intimate yet creative independence witnessed in Lacy’s earlier tracks such asDeep RedandC U Girl, both of which were created on his phone. Floaty vocals intertwined with the punchy strum of the guitar.

Of course, creating music in your bedroom, being independent of all control is not a new phenomenon, but Lacy undeniably made it fashionable. The multi-instrumentalist made guitar players and fans alike want to take out their phones and bare their souls in this un-glamorous and vulnerable way, and that is something to shout about.

出色的时刻

Basement Jack

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