John Burkhart must have a thing for frogs, because that’s what hylidae is, the family name of tree frogs. I’m
getting scientific on you here, I know, but before I lose you completely—and I
know I’m about to because I can tell you’re looking at this review and thinking
to yourself, “This jerk just Googled ‘hylidae’ and is just regurgitating Wikipedia at me!,” and you’d
be right—you should know that there’s a lot to like here, and you should stick
around. Why, you ask? Just tell me already, you scream? OK, OK, there’s not a
whole lot I can do with your fingers wrapped around my throat. Chill.
Now that I can breathe (but dude, those bruises are going to be visible
on my neck for a while, thanks a lot), what do you think of when you think of
tree frogs? Cute little guys, wicked colors, rainforests, etc., am I right?
Now, what do you think about when you’re listening to Intransitive by John Burkhart’s Hylidae project? Bingo! Cute little
tree frogs, wicked colors, rainforests, etc. Well, you will now, because I’ve
told you to. Actually, it’s a little bit deeper than that – sure Hylidae is
nothing if not fun in some way, but
the mood and tone move up and down the natural scale, both in daylight and
under night skies, soaked in rain and dry under canopies. It’s electronic at
its core, and almost pop in its execution, but whether it’s steeped in dub or
disco, Intransitive is a heck of a
ride. And colorful. Just like tree frogs. See, I’m bringing that back around
again, because I like beating dead horses. Metaphorically, of course.
At times ranging from what sounds like Dylan Ettinger on a good day—one
of those days after the Hoosiers dominated the Vols on both ends of the court
(holla!) —to Animal Collective gettin’ their DFA on, John Burkhart has made
some of the most pleasing music put to tape. Ever. Did I say “ever”? I meant
“in recent memory.” Or at least, he’s made a pretty cool tape, one for which
I’m having a tough time hitting the eject button. “You Don’t Say” and “Eulogy”
are the downtempo, close-to-the-earth beatscapes that announce the passing of
Hylidae, and “Lens Reshaping,” “NTHE,” and “Unwound” are the glorious pop
moments where the sun peeks through and everything ripples with natural beauty.
It’s ecstatic, and makes me want to dance in the rainforest, just like chorus
line of actual hylidae I’m imagining right now. Yeah, I’ll join them, why not.
It’s a good day!
--Ryan Masteller