Sick of seeing and hearing AI everywhere you turn? You’ve come to the right place! Raw, messy, unpredictable and undeniably human, ELROD’s Alchemy Practice (Tapes) is a refreshing change from the ever-encroaching reach of AI. The Nashville-based independent alternative folk artist has certainly achieved his goal of being “as anti-AI as humanly possible.”
The EP explores unconventional and unpredictable harmonies, dissonances, and even time signatures, and to me this pushes against AI, as it is something that AI – which learns from patterns – would not necessarily produce itself. This is evident from the outset, with the semi-tonal melody of the first track, “I Am, I Am”, creating an unclear tonality. The same is apparent in “Practicing Alchemy”, which also reminds me of “Last Flowers” by Radiohead, with dissonance created between the melody and accompaniment, causing the resolutions to be even more satisfying. Accents on unexpected beats also contribute to the almost unsettling effect on the ear, as well as the irregular metre in “Hot In Here” and the syncopated melody of “Open Season”. It is the unexpected aspects of the EP that make it unique, and you can’t predict where it will lead next; a perfect example of how to create something that AI could not.
An intimate and raw sound is created by the EP, another signifier to me of ELROD’s aim to be “anti-AI.” The lyrics, although fairly abstract, are emotionally charged, such as the sorrowful repetition of “stuck in this state of mind,” which he practically screams in “I Am, I Am”. There’s also the thought-provoking line, “I wanna believe in something that I can’t even see” in “God Song” – my personal favourite track on the album! The fervent way these lyrics are sung creates the impression that the experiences and emotions they express are genuine and deeply felt, juxtaposing AI, which cannot (yet, at least!) experience emotions as humans can. Reminding me of the sound world created by the artist quickly, quickly, you can hear every detail of his voice: the breaks, the strains, the gruffness. There is nothing remotely robotic about it.
Serving as yet another reminder of the very human nature of this EP are the “imperfections” intentionally left in, which also owe to the process of recording on tape. For example, the vocal layers trail off at different times in “I Am, I Am”, and in ‘Hot In Here,’ the layers become slightly out of sync. Similarly, various background noises are left in, such as the cough at the end of “I Am, I Am” and muffled, indiscernible sounds at the end of “Open Season” and “Practicing Alchemy”. Instead of sounding messy, these quirks enhance the EP and remind me of a sentiment expressed by singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro in an interview on the Zach Sang Show. She believes the imperfections in her music “are what make it”, as you can “hear all the human things”. This will surely become a priority for more and more people as AI music gains traction.
I was constantly surprised by this EP and left anticipating what was to come next. It is unique, intriguing, intricate and expresses raw emotion. With music like this, I think human artists have a fighting chance when it comes to the threat of AI music!
Take a listen to Alchemy Practice (Tapes) below.
Written by Macy Tryer
