Flicker (song)
| "Flicker" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Porter Robinson | ||||
| from the album Worlds | ||||
| Released | July 28, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Genre | Synthpop | |||
| Length | 4:39 | |||
| Label | Astralwerks | |||
| Writer(s) | Porter Robinson | |||
| Producer(s) | Porter Robinson | |||
| Porter Robinson singles chronology | ||||
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"Flicker" is a song by American electronic music producer Porter Robinson, released on July 28, 2014 as the fourth single from his debut studio album Worlds. The song musically contains elements of disco and hip-hop, with sampling of soul music Robinson was influenced by Daft Punk's album Discovery. Vocally, the song contains an audio file of a text-to-speech voice saying non-correctly translated Japanese "never seen" song titles that he chopped and screwed into a "rap". The official music video premiered on August 14, 2014, and involves footage of Japan filtered with effects including those of 8-bit video games. The song was well-received from critics, and was a hit on the American Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Composition
With "Flicker", one of Porter Robinson's favorite songs of his debut studio album Worlds, he wanted to experiment with samples of soul music, which he became a fan of ever since he listened to his favorite album, Daft Punk's second studio record Discovery.[1] The result was a hip-hop-style instrumental that he felt was "incomplete" with only drums and the phased samples.[1] He didn't initially plan "Flicker" to be a track on Worlds until some time later, he was using a translation website to translate "song titles that would never been seen" incorrectly into Japanese, and then put the Japanese text into a text-to-speech program for it to be converted into a WAV file for him to "cut it into a rap" which he called a "charming little thing".[1] Finally, he composed the lead melody and chord progression. Robinson described "Flicker" as more of a "journey" than a pop song, saying that it goes "to a lot of different places" structure-wise.[1] The song also contains influences of disco, opening with a "summer-y disco guitar" before moving into "hands-in-the-air synth blasts" as a critic described.[2] The song's composition and arrangement was compared by Spin magazine's Garrett Kamps to the works of Boards of Canada.[3]
Release and promotion
"Flicker" premiered on July 28, 2014 by Vogue magazine for streaming.[4] It debuted at number 37 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart in the United States on the issue week of August 16, 2014,[5] later re-appearing at its peak of number 34 on the week of August 30.[6] A remix by Robinson's friend Mat Zo, which he said was “One of the best remixes I've ever gotten in my life”, was first heard at his performance at the Monstercat label showcase, and was released on September 9, 2015 as a single off the official remix album for Worlds.[7] An official animated music video for "Flicker" premiered on August 14, 2014. Lucas Villa described the video as "like seeing Japan on a train ride," where "scenes of the area fly by with an abounding amount of digital alterations."[8] Footage of Japan in the video is filtered with "stunning visuals" and 8-bit video game effects.[8] The video was well received, with Villa calling it "as awe-inspiring as the track itself."[8]
"Flicker" was very well-received by critics. Elissa Stolman praised Robinson on the track for not being "overwhelmed by his influences, which seem to extend farther back into history than most producers in his field", while joking that "it's just a bit of a shame that disco is one of them."[2] In his mixed review of Worlds, Derek Staples of Consequence of Sound praised “Flicker” and “Goodbye to a World” for highlighting "Robinson’s more intricate big room capabilities" in an album where "Robinson hides his former bass-fueled self behind the album’s sheen."[9] Allmusic journalist Andy Kellman said in his review of the album that "Flicker", along with "Lionhearted" and "Years of War" "have sections muscular and bold enough to move large crowds",[10] while Las Vegas Weekly critic Mike Prevatt described the track's hook as having an "emotional payoff."[11]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Worlds Commentary. Porter Robinson. 2014. Spotify. Sample Sized.
- 1 2 Stolman, Elissa (August 5, 2014). "Beat by Beat Review: Porter Robinson – Worlds". Vice. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ↑ Kamps, Garrett (August 14, 2014). "Porter Robinson, 'Worlds' Review". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ↑ Frank, Alex (July 28, 2014). "Porter Robinson Gives EDM a Makeover With His Latest Track". Vogue. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ↑ "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs". August 16, 2014. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ↑ "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs". August 30, 2014. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ↑ Porter Robinson Shares Mat Zo's “So, So Incredible” Remix of Flicker". Beatport. September 9, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- 1 2 3 Villa, Lucas (August 19, 2014). "Porter Robinson colorizes Japan in music video for 'Flicker'". AXS. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ↑ Staples, Derek (August 12, 2014). "Porter Robinson – Worlds". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Worlds – Porter Robinson". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ↑ Prevatt, Mike (September 3, 2014). "CD Review: Porter Robinson's 'Worlds'". Las Vegas Weekly. The Greenspun Corporation. Retrieved December 21, 2015.