Song of the Day: Ariel Pink - "Time to Live"

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Morning Show with John Richards, is "Time to Live" by Ariel Pink, from the upcoming 2017 album Dedicated to Bobby Jameson, out September 15th on Mexican Summer.

Ariel Pink - Time to Live (MP3)

“Time to live / Time for life”

It’s refreshing to hear such clear focus on seizing the moment and taking up life right now. The song serves the album’s theme of dedication to the very unique life of '60s musician Bobby Jameson and his later online autobiographical blogs/videos. In the lo-fi, new wavey haze of sound via Ariel Pink, we get repetitive life affirmations through his gothic croon. The robotic, automative vocals betray a visceral appeal to embrace the moment. I suppose one could call this AI’ed-soul music.

Dedicated to Bobby Jameson will be Ariel Pink’s eleventh album. The prolific, occasionally controversial, songwriter has certainly been hard-working in a time when many bands take years in between records (just take a look at this wiki discography!).  “Time to Live” is a wonderfully crafted mishmash of genres with recording techniques seemingly merging analog and digital instrumentation along with sampling and vocal layering.

Ariel Pink will be performing in Seattle at Neumo’s on Saturday, October 21st. Keep track of all future dates with his Facebook page. You can also hear another release from the upcoming Dedicated to Bobby Jameson with their dream-psych-folk track "Another Weekend."