Are You childproof?

Original Copy album cover / collage

First question: do you like to dance while becoming one with the Weird? Of course you do. After all, you’re reading this award-winning blog (note: we have won no actual awards). You have style, you’re refined, you’re cool. You’ll dig a musical group outta Brooklyn called childproof (no capitalization on the dance floor!). The band is the brainchild of a way out there stargazer named JP Marin, sometimes known as “tv.” Also in the band are three cool cats named Cole Jett, Albert Goold and Charles Goold. This here is bonzo good music. Fun and thought-provoking stuff. The band stitches together rock and dance styles from the 60’s to the present for a sound that is both nostalgic and futuristic.

It’s a weird, funky psychedelic sound that creates a feeling of wonder and desire. Desire for childhood, when having a good time wasn’t something trivial. When it was everything. But Marin understands that being young is more than just innocence. He knows perfectly the darkness and fear that comes with it. It’s a time when we are completely lost in our fantasies, yet surrounded by the cynicism and menace of the adult world. A strange thing, this musical detournment.

Which makes sense, because Marin also makes digital collages. He takes images of pop-culture icons and places them next to political, religious and social figures. Actually, anything is fair game. These here are schizoid re-imaginings of the freak world we see every day, images that are routinely presented in full color on our television sets. To see an 80’s teen heartthrob turned Jesus freak striking a pose while Sigmund Freud appears to look away from the spectacle in disgust is just something else entirely. A cool curiosity, this strange explosion of culture and politics. In many ways, a childproof song is the audio version of these collages. Both take disparate cultural elements to create something that startles and mesmerizes.

Marin’s been writing and performing music since 1996, but formed childproof a few years later. Marin writes the songs, but he’s always open to collaborations from the musicians he works with. As well as being the architect and bandleader, Marin plays guitar and sings when the group plays live. Originally from Florida, he’s made his way to Brooklyn and has been playing club dates there since he arrived.

Marin describes his music as a “condition.” An interesting thing this, implying a certain possession by the Muses, an involuntary activity. One never wants an artist to completely lose their sanity, but, let’s be honest, it doesn’t necessarily hurt. Just ask any Surrealist. But one doesn’t have to push themselves that far. Marin seems stable enough. But what kind of condition would he be in were he not able to practice his itchy obsessions? Well, thankfully, he does have that outlet. So much better for the rest of us.

Look, you really should listen to this stuff. You can stream childproof’s most recent albums in full on their Bandcamp page. Toss in a few bucks (three dollars! Cheap!) and you can download a copy of their newest album, a six-song EP called Anonymous! Plus, if you join their Facebook page, you’ll get to see plenty of artwork and weird stuff.

I’m glad I found out about these cats. Seriously, they’re now one of my favorite bands, especially of this decade. I look forward to further following their Weird.