I still have an iPod, which I'm told is an archaic piece of equipment. On it is a lone song by Ghetto Cross entitled, “Dog Years”, which came out in 2008. Fuck, my iPod is ancient. Many times I've looked at the lone Ghetto Cross song and considered removing it in order to create space for new music, but with each listen to the boozy, fragmented boos and scratches of “Dog Years” I held out hope that the project between Bradford Cox and Cole Alexander would surface under some trickling circumstances. As I'd listen to Cole and Bradford wax recording philosophies that link together Ol' Dirty Bastard and Brian Eno, I held out hope that in the least, the mp3 had some nugget of cataloged worth.
Three years later, Pitchfork reports the Deerhunter frontman and Black Lips makeout protestor are reviving Ghetto Cross as a “fall project for fun.” Ghetto Cross now consists of bassist Asha Lakra and drummer Frankie Broyles, formerly of Balkans. The four piece dropped “Still” last week, to prove they're serious about revisiting an ancient project that recorded an album's worth of songs, only to get side-tracked for unbeknownst reasons. Further seriousness will ensue tomorrow night in Atlanta with Ghetto Cross playing a debut set at Club 529, along with solo sets as Atlas Sound and Old King Cole Younger.
Doo-wop fed through a meat grinder, “Still” tells the love story of Billy the autistic who cannot talk and an outsider protagonist who've got a makeout thing going on that no one else can understand. PC-folk: go ahead and be offended. We truly find Cole's story to be charming, like a Harmony Korine plot.
With no news of an album title, record label, or release date, the fun fall project could get shelved for another three years, but now there's enough music for a 7″.
