You Are All I See CD

MUSIC

POP

Song Listing

Disc 1

Song Title

1. You Are All I See

2. Hanging On

3. Playing House ~ (featuring How to Dress Well)

4. See Thru Eyes

5. High Priestess

6. Ivy

7. Way Too Fast

8. Ancient Eye

9. Shield & Sword

10. Johnny Belinda

Album Notes and Credits

Notes & Personnel Info
	Audio Mixer: Dave Shiffman.
	Recording information: Slow Death Studios, Echo Park, CA; Sun Rooms Studios, Pasadena, CA; Sunset Lodge Studios, Hollywood, CA.
	Thanks to both a strong initial EP in Curtis Lane and equally remarkable live appearances, expectations for Active Child's debut album were quite high. What's really remarkable is how well You Are All I See not only matches but almost exceeds those expectations: its a full-length statement of purpose that manages the trick of both identifying an aesthetic and exploring variations within it. Pat Grossi's remarkable singing voice remains the understandable centerpiece, a sweet, simply gorgeous falsetto that begs comparisons to more contemporary acts like Antony and the Johnsons and Bon Iver, but more accurately calls to mind the pristine singing of Morten Harket of a-ha. Yet even Harket's work never quite had the sheer, clean beauty of Grossi's, evident right from the start with the title track kicking in with a now trademark collage of synth-as-harp strings and rhythm before the vocals send everything over the moon. What's also notable is how the music, like the singing, recalls but does not aspire to clone a presumed golden age of '80s synth pop; for all the potential similarities, there's a distinct, unique feeling on songs like "Ancient Eye" and its slow bass snarl set against massed choruses, or the deep pulses and plucked delicacy on "Hanging On." Yet in ways, it almost all comes back to the voice, set in arrangements like a gem in a necklace. When he pushes and tests the boundaries of that voice, the results are even more remarkable; while the collaboration with How to Dress Well on "Playing House" is lovely, hearing a sudden, yearning growl at one point is a real keeper. The uneasy concluding number, "Johnny Belinda," is equally remarkable given Grossi's almost slow, sighing search for something more, while the direct lyrical sentiments about accelerated love on "Way Too Fast" hit a high point when he not only reintroduces layered vocals, but distorts them, a surprising, disturbing moment of high drama. 2011 is a year for strong albums in general, and You Are All I See deserves to be ranked among the best. ~ Ned Raggett
Producer: Ariel Rechtshaid
Engineer: Patrick James Grossi; Ariel Rechtshaid
Musical Guests
	How to Dress Well

Artist Overview

Active Child is the electronic-meets-choral project of musician Pat Grossi. Growing up in New Jersey, Grossi sang with the Philadelphia Boys Choir and was influenced by the rhythms of `80s alternative dance bands like New Order. Combining these elements with his otherworldly falsetto, live harp, and evocative lyrics, Active Child was born. The project debuted in 2010 with an EP, Curtis Lane. These soaring soundscapes caught the ears of bliss popsters School of Seven Bells, who later toured alongside Active Child; they remixed each other's songs for a split 7". Active Child's first full-length recording, You Are All I See, followed in 2011. ~ Chrysta Cherrie

Artist Influences
James Blake (Dubstep) | New Order (UK) | Radiohead | Tears for Fears

Associated Artists and Works

School of Seven Bells

Technical Info

	Release Date : 08/23/2011
	Original Release Date : 2011
	Catalog ID : VR681
	Label : Universal Music Canada
	Number of Discs : 1
	Studio/Live : Studio
	Mono/Stereo : Stereo
	SPAR Code : n/a
	UPC : 00601091068124

Professional Reviews

Q (Magazine)
(p.123)
- 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he Los Angeles-based musician creates a mood of icy drama, the harps, synths and ecclesiastical vocals of 'Way Too Fast' and 'Ancient Eye' tracing mysterious patterns in the electro-frost."

Uncut (magazine)
(p.81)
- 4 stars out of 5 -- "YOU ARE ALL I SEE turns out to be one of the year's boldest, most beautiful debuts."

BloomReach Content

You Are All I See (2011)

Product Details: