Cartoons and kids' films always promised that behind the walls, under the floorboards, beneath a city, exist perfect miniature worlds more wonderful than our own. To promote his new record, Delicate Steve-- aka 25-year old guitarist Steve Marion-- hid play-buttons around Brooklyn and Manhattan for people to plug their headphones into and hear Positive Force ahead of release; hook up to one at Valentino Pier to hear Steve's chandelier psychedelia, and you might believe you'd just jacked into the heart of a secret world powered by raw joy. Though Marion's real-life existence seems equally paradisiacal: He hails from New Jersey, where he's part of the Smallboypants collective, most of whom play in his live band. He's signed to David Byrne's Luaka Bop label, spends his time taking 100-mile bike rides, playing basketball, or hanging out with his sonic brothers in Fang Island-- who, it transpires, run "a cheese van" in New York, and named their truffle oil-infused grilled sandwich after him: Anyone for the $10 "Delicate Cheese"? Positive Force sounds a little like what might happen if you sent Fang Island's hyperactive music on an Eastern detox retreat-- though letting them hang onto the cheese's sentiment, if not its harder to digest aspects.
In a recent interview, Yeasayer's Anand Wilder said that Delicate Steve's music-- they're old touring buddies-- had made him excited about the guitar again, and it's a shame that he didn't incorporate more of Steve's vivid, lively playing into the limp Fragrant World. Marion is one of those rare guitarists whose instrument sings in the place of vocals: Positive Force is predominantly instrumental, but you'll hear him take a breath at the very beginning to introduce his second voice. The combination of mic-ing up his Telecaster's strings and an amp, then blending the two together, sounds crystalline and futuristic, gently boisterous and squirty. His guitar sings like George Harrison's guitar reanimated, Dustin Wong's post-Ponytail solo releases, the most melodic moments from Swing Lo Magellan, and the effects on Julia Holter's marvelous collaboration with Jib Kidder from earlier this year. It often wheezes like old fairground organs, and beams with an open-heartedness you'll recognize from the 80s sitcom theme tunes that instantly tell you happiness is on the way, like "Charles in Charge" and "It's Your Move".
The songs here resolve beautifully, but never predictably, with more attention paid to their structure than on Marion's first LP, Wondervisions. The cooing "Two Lovers" trickles like two tributaries, one shallow and one deep, flowing against each other before achieving confluence in a babbling whirlpool. The conversation between the blooming bass and sleek vocalizing on "Big Time Receiver" seems like the responsible voices of parents idly keeping an eye on the miniature, skittering ticks and itches dancing around them. Standout track "Wally Wilder" is the theme to Midnight Cowboy by way of Animal Collective, harking back to the early-1970s trend for harmonica melodies to replace vocals, the perfect example of which would be the wondrous "Groovin' With Mr. Bloe". The sound of birdsong and the feel of a balmy, sun-dappled garden glows throughout.
If there's anything wrong with Positive Force, it's that it's better suited as background music than bearing up to intense listening; while the guitar lines on most of the songs here are deliciously difficult to whistle, they're all essentially fairly similar. And only "Redeemer" and the title track manage to reiterate the terrifically strong opening salvo of "Ramona Reborn" and "Wally Wilder". But for a strong run at a rapidly forming philosophy of positive vibes and inspiringly innovative playing, it's hard to want to pick holes in a record that more than lives up to its title.
