Best Finds of 2011 - #21 - Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - "Round and Round"

Ariel Pink has been making self-produced psychedelic pop for a few years and has recorded over 500 lo-fi ditties. In 2008, after being signed to Animal Collective's Pawprint Records he recruited the boys of the band and "Haunted Graffiti" was born. Their album 'Before Today' came out in 2010, and this track topped the Pitchfork Best Tracks of 2010. This was hands down my favorite tune from the early part of 2011, and got some heavy rotation in my house, culminating with it's release on Mixtape 9 back in May.



Ariel Pink is a madman and a clown, tapping into the rock & roll hysteria of years past. He's both a musician, a showman, and insane, channelling the sound of early Bowie, and an uncanny resemblance to Kurt Cobain. This tune sounds like a lost AM Radio hit from the early 80s, and this fan-made video recutting the 1983 aerobics film "Perfect" starring Jamie Lee Curtis and John Travolta is a 'perfect' fit.