The intro to “Strangers,” a new single by Los Angeles-based singer Troi Irons, instantly calls to mind a deep cut from one of the best albums of all time: Ok Computer by Radiohead.
Yes, it’s this music critics opinion that a special ring of hell is reserved for plagiarists, but I am nevertheless of the opinion that a knowing quotation of another’s work is perfectly acceptable — laudable, even.
However, while I’m tempted to be similarly charitable to Troi Irons, the main instrumental hook of her new single bears too strong a resemblance to Radiohead’s “No Surprises” — a track from their hit 1997 album — to be judged anything but thinly disguised re-appropriation.
After hearing the whole track, it’s clear that Radiohead’s third album is far from the only 90s-era object in Irons’ jewel box of musical influences. But the whole affair sounds so hyper-sincere, angsty and self-absorbed, it’s tempting to think that the musicians her work evokes – Alanis Morissette, Liz Phair, Trent Reznor, the list is long – are being conjured as objects of ridicule.
Musical satire is a rare commodity these days, but Irons’ “Strangers” is simply a musical anachronism, one that’d be almost refreshing if its emotions were more convincing. Nevertheless, the song has potential, and Troi Irons is an artist worth watching.
Strangers
Matt Fink lives and works in Brooklyn. Go to organgrind.com for more of his work.
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