Now My Knees Are Bloody

Escape-ism “Lonely At the Top”

Escape-ism is the first music project Ian Svenonius has done entirely on his own, and he really makes the most of that by embracing a severe minimalism. He’s basically doing his own version of Suicide’s first record, but in this case, he’s both Alan Vega and Martin Rev. Svenonius’ voice is always the most interesting and exciting thing about any band he’s in, so placing all the emphasis of the music on it is a winning bet. There’s barely anything to “Lonely At the Top” other than a jumpy electronic beat and him alternating between sing-song verses and anxious bleats and squeals, and it’s incredibly compelling. He’s using the same musical tactics that Suicide used to convey claustrophobic tension and the threat of violence, but shifting it into farce – this isn’t sung from the perspective of some mentally ill street person, but rather the paranoid interior monologue of some rich guy trying to cling to power and prestige.

Buy it from Amazon.