Motion Graphics – “Anyware” (Singles Going Steady)

Chris Ingalls: The latest project from New York-based electronic artist Joe Williams, Motion Graphics is a purely synthetic stab at experimental synthpop, with an emphasis on “experimental”. With “Anyware”, he basically throws everything at the wall to see what sticks, and the result is a sonic collage packed with unique textures that sounds like Peter Gabriel’s Security album after a wild animal was let loose on the mixing desk. Interesting, restless and far-reaching. [8/10]

Max Totsky: There is a reason specific names always emerge at the forefront of the IDM scene. What Daniel Lopatin and Laurel Halo possess that an artist like, say, Motion Graphics might lack is a hunger to constantly push the boundaries, a mentality that fresh sound isn’t gifted; you have to press yourself to find it. However, that’s not to say that “Anyware” is a bad track. It’s just that this magnitude isn’t a bit hard to find in the song’s tropical-psych loop, waves of found sound, and trap snares. It knows exactly how to milk its repetition to create an effect that is hypnotic and far from stale, I just probably won’t remember it when the new Oneohtrix Point Never comes out. [6/10]

Tanner Smith: Motion Graphics operates in the technicolor hypnagogic wonderland that’s already well-trodden by Rustie and PC Music affiliates, but this song feels distinctive because of its percussive and juxtapositional qualities: Philip Glass-like trills ping-pong against clacking drill drums that really bang. It’s all bathed in that vaporwave soup that will make it an easy slip into the H&M playlist that’ll bump when you’re trying on some new pants. Intriguing, but not revelatory. [7/10]

Andrew Paschal: This track is like a restless, mischievous sprite that climbs through your window and starts breaking things in your house, darting this way and that faster than your eyes can follow it. The song goes high and light with clinky, cartoony synths, and then abruptly falls to the ground with attention grabbing drum claps. It then repeats this pattern over and over at several-second intervals. While intricate and briefly entertaining, “Anyware” eventually becomes tiresome and irritating. [5/10]

William Sutton: The psychedelic inspired video is slightly at odds with the experimental electronica of a track which matches off kilter synths with crisp handclaps, 8 bit samples and panpipes, added layer by layer throughout the track. With a sound similar to Model 86, this tracks shows there is scope for experimentation in the post-EDM world. The track itself, however, feels like an incomplete idea and could have benefitted from some further thought and development as its many parts do not sadly add up to a whole. [4/10]

Paul Carr: As soon as the song begins, I guarantee you will check your phone. Not the phone you have now. You’ll find yourself looking for the old Nokia phone that you haven’t used since the early noughties. That’s because Motion Graphics have clearly based this song on the ringtone to the Nokia 3010. Once you’ve heard the song, it becomes impossible to differentiate between the two. The song itself is pleasant enough. It is well crafted but slight, often threatening to take off but never quite managing to…. Sorry my phone’s ringing. [6/10]

Adriane Pontecorvo: Loops on loops, but not much substance. There’s a nice build throughout the song, but half of the samples sound like they came from Windows 98 system files, and they don’t mix well with the other half; it’s a barrage of demo sounds. There’s potential here, and some intriguing robot voices, but this track needs paring down and a sense of quality over quantity. [4/10]

Scott Zuppardo: The quintessential soundtrack to robot beach porn or better described as a late ’90s K-hole with a red wine/steel drum hangover. [1/10]

Chad Miller: Pretty cool electronic piece. The instrumentation is really playful while giving off a lot of characterization to the piece, though the song doesn’t really tell a story with it. I’d say that’s where the song’s biggest flaw lies. It’s hard to commit attention to the piece when there’s not a lot of progression happening. [6/10]

SCORE: 5.22