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{{Infobox album
{{Album infobox
|Name=Night Dolls with Hairspray
| name = Night Dolls with Hairspray
| type = Studio
⚫
|Cover=James.ferraro.hairspray.jpg
⚫
| artist = [[James Ferraro]]
⚫
|Alt=A woman's hand with pink fingernails holds a black television remote in front of duplicates of electric guitars and a picture of James Ferraro with sunglasses and lipstick. On the far right is a woman's hair.
⚫
| cover = James.ferraro.hairspray.jpg
|Artist=[[James Ferraro|Lamborghini Crystal]]
⚫
| alt = A woman's hand with pink fingernails holds a black television remote in front of duplicates of electric guitars and a picture of James Ferraro with sunglasses and lipstick. On the far right is a woman's hair.
|Type=Studio
⚫
| released = October 31, 2010
|Length=48:15
| recorded =
⚫
|Released=October 31, 2010
| venue =
⚫
|Genre={{flatlist|
| studio =
⚫
*[[Hypnagogic pop]]<ref>MacFarlane, Richard (January 19, 2011). [http://web.archive.org/web/20110317092914/http://alteredzones.com/posts/701/zoned-james-ferraro-night-dolls-hairspray/ "Zoned In: James Ferraro: Night Dolls With Hairspray"]. Archived from the [http://alteredzones.com/posts/701/zoned-james-ferraro-night-dolls-hairspray/ original] on March 17, 2011. ''Altered Zones''. [[Pitchfork Media]]. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref>
⚫
| genre = {{flatlist|
⚫
*[[Hypnagogic pop]]<ref>MacFarlane, Richard (January 19, 2011). [https://web.archive.org/web/20110317092914/http://alteredzones.com/posts/701/zoned-james-ferraro-night-dolls-hairspray/ "Zoned In: James Ferraro: Night Dolls With Hairspray"]. Archived from the [http://alteredzones.com/posts/701/zoned-james-ferraro-night-dolls-hairspray/ original] on March 17, 2011. ''Altered Zones''. [[Pitchfork Media]]. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref>
*[[dream pop]]<ref name = "Dummy"/>
*[[dream pop]]<ref name = "Dummy"/>
*[[bubblegum pop]]<ref name = "Playground">Conte, Iván (January 19, 2011). [http://www.playgroundmag.net/ultimos-discos/albums/Night-Dolls-With-Hairspray_12_589861015.html "Night Dolls With Hairspray"]. ''Playground''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref>
*[[bubblegum pop]]<ref name = "Playground">Conte, Iván (January 19, 2011). [http://www.playgroundmag.net/ultimos-discos/albums/Night-Dolls-With-Hairspray_12_589861015.html "Night Dolls With Hairspray"]. ''Playground''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref>
*[[glam rock]]
*[[power pop]]
*[[glam punk]]
}}
}}
| length = 48:15
|Label=Olde English Spelling Bee
| label = Olde English Spelling Bee
⚫
|Producer=[[James Ferraro]]
| producer = [[James Ferraro]]
|Last album=''Clear''<br>(2009)
| prev_title = On Air
|This album='''''Night Dolls with Hairspray'''''<br>(2010)
| prev_year = 2009
|Next album=''[[Far Side Virtual]]''<br>(2011)
| next_title = [[Far Side Virtual]]
| next_year = 2011
}}
}}
'''''Night Dolls with Hairspray''''' is the final studio album of American [[electronic musician]] [[James Ferraro]]'s project Lamborghini Crystal,<ref>{{cite web|date=March 6, 2012|url=http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2012/03/james-ferraro-fireside-chat|title=Interview: James Ferraro And His Music Multiverse|publisher=[[Red Bull Music Academy]]|accessdate=March 27, 2017}}</ref> released on October 31, 2010 by the independent [[record label]] Olde English Spelling Bee. Described as a "cycle of [[bubblegum pop]] songs,"<ref name = "Playground"/> the album's [[lo-fi]] sound draws on sources such as [[glam punk]] and 1980s [[pop culture]]. It garnered generally favorable reviews from [[music journalists]], called by one critic a "weirdo masterpiece of the 21st century."
'''''Night Dolls with Hairspray''''' is a studio album by American [[electronic musician]] [[James Ferraro]],<ref name = "RedBull">{{cite web|date=March 6, 2012|url=http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2012/03/james-ferraro-fireside-chat|title=Interview: James Ferraro And His Music Multiverse|publisher=[[Red Bull Music Academy]]|accessdate=March 27, 2017}}</ref> released on October 31, 2010 by Olde English Spelling Bee. Described as a "cycle of [[bubblegum pop]] songs,"<ref name = "Playground"/> its [[lo-fi]] sound draws on sources such as 1980s [[pop culture]] tropes, [[B-movies]], and [[glam punk]]. The album garnered generally favorable reviews from critics, and was called a "weirdo masterpiece of the 21st century" by ''[[Impose (magazine)|Impose]]''.


==Music==
==Composition==
'A ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' critic described the album's overall instrumentation as consisting of "plunging bass lines, warped guitar riffs, and crooning vocals" that "bounce around the stereo space like lasers in a hall of mirrors."<ref name = "Pitchfork"/> A reviewer for ''Playground'' magazine described the tracks as "fragmentary songs," in that it feels like each track cuts to different songs; this "collage effect" is an essential part of hypnagogic pop, in that the variety of 1980s musical styles serve as an "exercise in nostalgia."<ref name = "Playground"/> In an interview, Ferraro claimed he had gotten into "weird street fashion" while recording ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'', which in term led the record to be influenced by [[glam rock]] and [[power pop]] styles.<ref>Cornwell, Samantha (January 3, 2011). [http://web.archive.org/web/20110111201703/http://alteredzones.com/posts/657/hollyweird-babylon-part-1-james-ferraro-story/ "Artist Profile: James Ferraro"]. Archived from the [http://alteredzones.com/posts/657/hollyweird-babylon-part-1-james-ferraro-story/ original] on January 11, 2011. ''Altered Zones''. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> Most of ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' involves Ferraro exaggeratedly singing in [[castrato]]. Ferraro reasoned that the singing style was "silly" and "harmless," and led the album to sound "cool" and "futuristic."<ref name = "Dummy">[http://www.dummymag.com/Features/james-ferraro-interview-the-city-of-dream "James Ferraro interview: “The city of dream.”]. ''Dummy''. February 8, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref>
In an interview, Ferraro claimed he had gotten into "weird street fashion" while recording ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'', which led to the album being influenced by [[glam rock]] and [[power pop]] styles.<ref>Cornwell, Samantha (January 3, 2011). [https://web.archive.org/web/20110111201703/http://alteredzones.com/posts/657/hollyweird-babylon-part-1-james-ferraro-story/ "Artist Profile: James Ferraro"]. Archived from the [http://alteredzones.com/posts/657/hollyweird-babylon-part-1-james-ferraro-story/ original] on January 11, 2011. ''Altered Zones''. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> Of the record's concept, Ferraro explained: "the idea itself was basically just private material, just fooling around. I was really inspired to try to make just weird [[B-movie]] style trash."<ref name = "RedBull"/> Many of the songs on ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' feature Ferraro exaggeratedly singing in [[falsetto]], which he claimed was "silly" and "harmless" and made the album sound "cool" and "futuristic".<ref name = "Dummy">[http://www.dummymag.com/Features/james-ferraro-interview-the-city-of-dream "James Ferraro interview: "The city of dream."]. ''Dummy''. February 8, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref>


''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' described the album's overall instrumentation as consisting of "plunging bass lines, warped guitar riffs, and crooning vocals" that "bounce around the stereo space like lasers in a hall of mirrors."<ref name = "Pitchfork"/> A reviewer for ''Playground'' magazine described the tracks as "fragmentary songs," in that it feels like each track cuts to different songs; this "collage effect" is an essential part of [[hypnagogic pop]], in that the variety of 1980s musical styles serve as an "exercise in nostalgia".<ref name = "Playground"/>
==Concept==
⚫
''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' is about how popular media of the 1980s disregards common [[hygiene|hygienic]] and behavioral practices.<ref name = "Fact">Richardson, Nick (January 5, 2011). [http://www.factmag.com/2011/01/05/james-ferraro-night-dolls-with-hairspray/ "James Ferraro: Night Dolls with Hairspray"]. ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]''. [[The Vinyl Factory]]. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> In doing so, Ferraro creates new bad behaviors to scenarios that are common in [[B movies]] released in the decade, wrote Nick Richardson of ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]'' magazine.<ref name = "Fact"/> "Leather High School" takes place in a 1980s high school movie situation, but adds a sexual context that would not be present in most movies of this genre released in the decade. As Ferraro sings, “The principal’s wearing panties under his suit / they’re taking him down to the boiler room. They’re going to whip him till he bleeds."<ref name = "Fact"/> "Buffy Honkerburg’s Answering Machine" involves the singer as a stalker nerd sending lewd messages to a cheerleader in a [[slasher film]] scenario.<ref name = "Fact"/>


⚫
According to Nick Richardson of ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]'' magazine, ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' explores the surfaces of popular media in the 1980s;<ref name = "Fact">Richardson, Nick (January 5, 2011). [http://www.factmag.com/2011/01/05/james-ferraro-night-dolls-with-hairspray/ "James Ferraro: Night Dolls with Hairspray"]. ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]''. [[The Vinyl Factory]]. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> in doing so, Ferraro creates new bad behaviors for scenarios common in [[B movies]] of that decade.<ref name = "Fact"/> The song "Leather High School" takes place in a 1980s high school movie situation, but adds a sexual context not normally present in such a movie: "The principal's wearing panties under his suit / They're taking him down to the boiler room / They're going to whip him till he bleeds."<ref name = "Fact"/> "Buffy Honkerburg's Answering Machine" involves the singer as a stalker nerd sending lewd messages to a cheerleader in a [[slasher film]] scenario.<ref name = "Fact"/>
⚫
Richardson analyses that there are also interludes that are "disorienting amalgams of gross-out sound effects, [[shortwave radio]] noise, advertising jingles and cartoon theme tunes," which all represent the negative [[by-products]] of the entertainment coummunity that the album mocks.<ref name = "Fact"/> ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' also focuses on how most people positively view an otherwise bad entertainment industry in the present time, where "real teenagers, like Ferraro records, are smelly, acnefied, confused; while Beyonce is a slick, inhuman cyborg," writes Richardson.<ref name = "Fact"/> He also analyzes that the album "reflects a fantastical vision of the present that’s out of date and crumbling as soon as it’s realised – even as the vision hairpins to a blemishless space of muscled, digital geometry."<ref name = "Fact"/>

⚫
Richardson noted that ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' "reflects a fantastical vision of the present that's out of date and crumbling as soon as it's realised – even as the vision hairpins to a blemishless space of muscled, digital geometry."<ref name = "Fact"/> The album features interludes that Richardson described as "disorienting amalgams of gross-out sound effects, [[shortwave radio]] noise, advertising jingles and cartoon theme tunes," which all represent the negative [[by-products]] of the entertainment community the album mocks.<ref name = "Fact"/> ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' also focuses on how most people positively view an otherwise bad entertainment industry today, where "real teenagers, like Ferraro records, are smelly, acnefied, confused; while [[Beyoncé|Beyonce]] [sic] is a slick, inhuman cyborg".<ref name = "Fact"/>


==Critical reception==
==Critical reception==
Line 37: Line 45:
|rev3Score=7.9/10<ref name = "Playground"/>
|rev3Score=7.9/10<ref name = "Playground"/>
}}
}}

An ''Impose'' magazine journalist called ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' a "weirdo masterpiece of the 21st century."<ref>Krinsley, Jeremy (February 9, 2011). [http://www.imposemagazine.com/bytes/new-music/new-james-ferraro-tabloid-2 "New James Ferraro, "Tabloid 2"]. ''Impose''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> Marc Masters of ''Pitchfork'' described it as "remarkably catchy music," writing that fans of the works of artists like [[Ariel Pink]] would really enjoy the album. He also called the album "dizzying" and "nauseating, much the way audiences left ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'' more sick from the shaky camerawork than scared by the plot."<ref name = "Pitchfork"/> The ''Pitchfork'' blog ''Altered Zones'' called ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' a "supremely listenable batch of hits" and "so poignant that it’ll leave you wondering how you (actually) chuckled at the roach-infested creeps that populated the album [on "Roaches Watch TV"]."<ref name = "Playground"/> In a much harsher review, Joshua Paul Greene of ''MVRemix'' called the album "a painfully lo-fi, endlessly frenetic example of what I consider to be seriously unfulfilled potential."<ref name = "MVRemix">Paul Greene, Joshua (July 28, 2011). [http://mvremix.com/rock_blogs/2011/07/jamesferraro-james-ferraro-night-dolls-with-hairspray-review/ "James Ferraro – Night Dolls With Hairspray"]. ''MVRemix''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> He mainly panned the editing, more specifically the placement of sounds that ruin the flow of each song that otherwise have "catchy melodies and rhythms."<ref name = "MVRemix"/> He also bashed the fact that most tracks on the record end randomly without a proper resolution.<ref name = "MVRemix"/>
An ''Impose'' magazine journalist called ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' a "weirdo masterpiece of the 21st century."<ref>Krinsley, Jeremy (February 9, 2011). [http://www.imposemagazine.com/bytes/new-music/new-james-ferraro-tabloid-2 "New James Ferraro, "Tabloid 2"]. ''Impose''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> Marc Masters of ''Pitchfork'' described it as "remarkably catchy music," writing that fans of artists like [[Ariel Pink]] would enjoy the album; he also called it "dizzying" and "nauseating, much the way audiences left ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'' more sick from the shaky camerawork than scared by the plot."<ref name = "Pitchfork"/> The ''Pitchfork'' blog ''Altered Zones'' called ''Night Dolls with Hairspray'' a "supremely listenable batch of hits" and "so poignant that it'll leave you wondering how you (actually) chuckled at the roach-infested creeps that populated the album."<ref name = "Playground"/> In a harsher review, Joshua Paul Greene of ''MVRemix'' called the album "a painfully lo-fi, endlessly frenetic example of what I consider to be seriously unfulfilled potential."<ref name = "MVRemix">Paul Greene, Joshua (July 28, 2011). [http://mvremix.com/rock_blogs/2011/07/jamesferraro-james-ferraro-night-dolls-with-hairspray-review/ "James Ferraro – Night Dolls With Hairspray"]. ''MVRemix''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref> He mainly criticized the editing, more specifically the placement of sounds that ruin the flow of each song that otherwise has "catchy melodies and rhythms",<ref name = "MVRemix"/> and also chastised most of its songs for ending abruptly.<ref name = "MVRemix"/>

==Track listing==
==Track listing==
{{Track listing
{{Track listing
Line 79: Line 89:
|Olde English Spelling Bee
|Olde English Spelling Bee
|}
|}

==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|30em}}
{{James Ferraro}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2010 albums]]
[[Category:2010 albums]]
[[Category:James Ferraro albums]]

Latest revision as of 16:14, 8 February 2024

Night Dolls with Hairspray
A woman's hand with pink fingernails holds a black television remote in front of duplicates of electric guitars and a picture of James Ferraro with sunglasses and lipstick. On the far right is a woman's hair.
Studio album by
James Ferraro
ReleasedOctober 31, 2010
Genre
Length48:15
LabelOlde English Spelling Bee
ProducerJames Ferraro
James Ferraro chronology
On Air
(2009) 		Night Dolls with Hairspray
(2010) 		Far Side Virtual
(2011)

Night Dolls with Hairspray is a studio album by American electronic musician James Ferraro,[4] released on October 31, 2010 by Olde English Spelling Bee. Described as a "cycle of bubblegum pop songs,"[3] its lo-fi sound draws on sources such as 1980s pop culture tropes, B-movies, and glam punk. The album garnered generally favorable reviews from critics, and was called a "weirdo masterpiece of the 21st century" by Impose.

Composition

[edit]

In an interview, Ferraro claimed he had gotten into "weird street fashion" while recording Night Dolls with Hairspray, which led to the album being influenced by glam rock and power pop styles.[5] Of the record's concept, Ferraro explained: "the idea itself was basically just private material, just fooling around. I was really inspired to try to make just weird B-movie style trash."[4] Many of the songs on Night Dolls with Hairspray feature Ferraro exaggeratedly singing in falsetto, which he claimed was "silly" and "harmless" and made the album sound "cool" and "futuristic".[2]

Pitchfork described the album's overall instrumentation as consisting of "plunging bass lines, warped guitar riffs, and crooning vocals" that "bounce around the stereo space like lasers in a hall of mirrors."[6] A reviewer for Playground magazine described the tracks as "fragmentary songs," in that it feels like each track cuts to different songs; this "collage effect" is an essential part of hypnagogic pop, in that the variety of 1980s musical styles serve as an "exercise in nostalgia".[3]

According to Nick Richardson of Fact magazine, Night Dolls with Hairspray explores the surfaces of popular media in the 1980s;[7] in doing so, Ferraro creates new bad behaviors for scenarios common in B movies of that decade.[7] The song "Leather High School" takes place in a 1980s high school movie situation, but adds a sexual context not normally present in such a movie: "The principal's wearing panties under his suit / They're taking him down to the boiler room / They're going to whip him till he bleeds."[7] "Buffy Honkerburg's Answering Machine" involves the singer as a stalker nerd sending lewd messages to a cheerleader in a slasher film scenario.[7]

Richardson noted that Night Dolls with Hairspray "reflects a fantastical vision of the present that's out of date and crumbling as soon as it's realised – even as the vision hairpins to a blemishless space of muscled, digital geometry."[7] The album features interludes that Richardson described as "disorienting amalgams of gross-out sound effects, shortwave radio noise, advertising jingles and cartoon theme tunes," which all represent the negative by-products of the entertainment community the album mocks.[7] Night Dolls with Hairspray also focuses on how most people positively view an otherwise bad entertainment industry today, where "real teenagers, like Ferraro records, are smelly, acnefied, confused; while Beyonce [sic] is a slick, inhuman cyborg".[7]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Fact4/5[7]
Pitchfork7.9/10[6]
Playground7.9/10[3]

An Impose magazine journalist called Night Dolls with Hairspray a "weirdo masterpiece of the 21st century."[8] Marc Masters of Pitchfork described it as "remarkably catchy music," writing that fans of artists like Ariel Pink would enjoy the album; he also called it "dizzying" and "nauseating, much the way audiences left The Blair Witch Project more sick from the shaky camerawork than scared by the plot."[6] The Pitchfork blog Altered Zones called Night Dolls with Hairspray a "supremely listenable batch of hits" and "so poignant that it'll leave you wondering how you (actually) chuckled at the roach-infested creeps that populated the album."[3] In a harsher review, Joshua Paul Greene of MVRemix called the album "a painfully lo-fi, endlessly frenetic example of what I consider to be seriously unfulfilled potential."[9] He mainly criticized the editing, more specifically the placement of sounds that ruin the flow of each song that otherwise has "catchy melodies and rhythms",[9] and also chastised most of its songs for ending abruptly.[9]

Track listing

[edit]
Night Dolls with Hairspray[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Dollhouse Frotteur"5:10
2."Runaway"6:32
3."Brittney's Gum"3:01
4."Leather High School"5:41
5."Buffy Honkerburg's Answering Machine"3:36
6."Lipstick On Ants"1:51
7."Killer Nerd"5:08
8."Roaches Watch TV"1:29
9."Roses And Mystery"4:31
10."Movie Monster"4:47
11."Radio Cherubs"6:29
Total length:48:15

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label
Worldwide[10] October 31, 2010 Digital download Olde English Spelling Bee

References

[edit]
  1. ^ MacFarlane, Richard (January 19, 2011). "Zoned In: James Ferraro: Night Dolls With Hairspray". Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Altered Zones. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "James Ferraro interview: "The city of dream.". Dummy. February 8, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e Conte, Iván (January 19, 2011). "Night Dolls With Hairspray". Playground. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Interview: James Ferraro And His Music Multiverse". Red Bull Music Academy. March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  5. ^ Cornwell, Samantha (January 3, 2011). "Artist Profile: James Ferraro". Archived from the original on January 11, 2011. Altered Zones. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Masters, Marc (July 18, 2011). "James Ferraro: Nightdolls with Hairspray / On Air". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Richardson, Nick (January 5, 2011). "James Ferraro: Night Dolls with Hairspray". Fact. The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  8. ^ Krinsley, Jeremy (February 9, 2011). "New James Ferraro, "Tabloid 2". Impose. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c Paul Greene, Joshua (July 28, 2011). "James Ferraro – Night Dolls With Hairspray". MVRemix. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Night Dolls With Hairspray". Olde English Spelling Bee Bandcamp. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
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