With ‘7G’ and ‘Apple’ PC Music’s A. G. Cook Makes His Blow-Out Double Debut
The enfant terrible of experimental pop pushes the crossover potential of his computer music to the limit
top-notes-7g-and-apple-pc-music-a-g-cook-makes-debut
September 15, 2020
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# With ‘7G’ and ‘Apple’ PC Music’s A. G. Cook Makes His Blow-Out Double Debut
The enfant terrible of experimental pop pushes the crossover potential of his computer music to the limit
Top Notes
*A treasure trove of production sketches and noughties-influenced
guitar pop*
Mid Notes *Hyper-digitized folklore with
fruity aesthetics*
Base Notes *A kaleidoscopic look into the mind a
pop music revolutionary*
If you've engaged in avant-electronics in any kind of way, you will have
come across the Midas touch of PC Music. One of the most subversive
labels of the last decade went from shaking up raves in Dalston, London
in the early 2010's to becoming the hottest topic of debate in the
underground scene--adored by some for their über-conceptual machinations
[Hannah Diamond][1]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"} and
[QT][2]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"} (the pop star
persona created to promote a fictional energy drink) and despised by
others, who shunned the label for infiltrating the electronic music
scene with their bubblegum pop aesthetics.
A. G. Cook, PC Music's founder, has since gone on to produce for
[Jónsi][3]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"}, [Caroline
Polachek][4]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"}, and [Charlie
XCX][5]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"}, who tapped him to
become her creative director in 2016. Cook's work draws inspiration from
hitmakers Max Martin, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, but unlike these
chart-toppers, his productions are rooted in the fringes of
post-internet culture, using the computer as a vantage point "not just
for making electronic music but for making amateur music that is also
potentially very slick, where the difference between bedroom and
professional studio production can be very ambiguous." Throughout his
career and work with PC Music, Cook has mostly remained in the
background as a producer and songwriter. But now, after years of
collaborations and production credits across the pop and electronic
music spectrums, he's stepping out into the spotlight, kickstarting his
career as a solo artist with no less than two (but, size-wise, closer to
eight) albums. In this week's Top Notes, we dive into whether his debut
album *7G* and the subsequent *Apple*, released only within the span of
roughly a month, sticks the landing.
[1]: https://soundcloud.com/hannahdiamond
[2]: https://soundcloud.com/qtofficial/hey-qt
[3]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U44-xky1vjw&feature=emb_title
[4]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JVXby5fpcg
[5]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKrTCGGEiWY
[YouTube Content][1]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
Cook's debut album *7G* is immense in its sheer proportion: its 49
tracks span three discs, each themed by a specific "instrument" that he
uses in his compositions--drums, guitar, supersaw (an oscillator often
used in the trance genre), piano, Nord (a synthesizer from Swedish brand
Clavia), spoken word, and extreme vocals. Disc 1 (or "A.G. Drums"), the
most dancefloor-friendly of the bunch, flips breakbeat on its head with
satisfyingly jumpy "[A-Z][2]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer
noopener"}" and collages chopped-up vocal samples of frequent
collaborator Hannah Diamond. Moments of his indie rocker sensibilities
and even country guitar riffs bubble up with tracks like "[Drink
Blood][3]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"}" in Disc 2. And
throughout the record, like on the angelic "[Gemstone Break][4]{:
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"}," Cook leads with outcast
instruments and sounds--pan flutes, organs, banjos, autotune. By the
time *7G* closes out with "Alright," an epic pop banger featuring
collaborators Polachek and Estonian cloud rapper Tommy Cash, the extent
to which Cook attempts to sidestep anything considered "middle of the
road" becomes clear. It's an instant earworm at its most exaggerated
peak, the kind that will certifiably make some squirm---one of the
damning indictments of the track I've heard was a comparison to Owl
City's gruesome late noughties hit "[Fireflies][5]{: target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer noopener"}"---to PC Music's loyal fanbase, it's pop
music at its most perfected peak.
Mere weeks after releasing *7G*, Cook now returns with his cheekily
titled "second debut album" *Apple*, named after one of the "most
everyday objects, which somehow contains references to almost everything
imaginable---from computers to The Beatles, New York to Snow White, and
an entire world of history and mythology." The main ingredients from
*7G* are all there, but where *7G* strips away the slick packaging PC
Music has become known for, on *Apple* they're fully realized into
Cook's vision of sleek pop songs.
Apple, of course, isn't the first time an artist has dropped two albums
in the span of a short time or played with the concept of a
"debut"--Frank Ocean's Endless comes to mind, released only a day before
Blonded due to contractual obligations with Def Jam. And in 2017
Equiknoxx described *[Colón Man][6]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer
noopener"}*, their follow-up to *[Bird Song Power][7]{: target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer noopener"}*, their "debut LP proper," even though it was
released months later.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_FISlaxnJAA?feature=oembed
[2]: https://agcook.bandcamp.com/track/a-z
[3]: https://agcook.bandcamp.com/track/drink-blood
[4]: https://agcook.bandcamp.com/track/gemstone-break
[5]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psuRGfAaju4
[6]: https://soundcloud.com/equiknoxx-sc/sets/colon-man
[7]: https://soundcloud.com/equiknoxxmusic/sets/equiknoxx-bird-sound-power-dds
[Image: CW37_Top_Notes_AGCook_SITE_cover-scaled.jpg]
[YouTube Content][1]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
However, in comparison to 7G, *Apple* falls short of adding
much more than additional material for A.G. stans. While Apple may be
Cook's most earnest attempt at emotional, full-on pop songwriting, songs
like "Beautiful Superstar" or lead single "Oh Yeah" come across as a
fully realized trope, a parody of pop-punk ballads from the noughties,
though knowing PC Music's modus operandi of trolling, this, of course,
may be exactly the point. There is something very PC Music about this
bait-and-switch: following up a body of work that shines in its
sincerity and willingness to show its rough edges with a hyper-polished
album at the opposite end of the spectrum. "I don't need you no, yeah,"
Cook croons, and although he may be addressing a former lover, he could
just as well be speaking to electronic music purists (or critics like
myself) whose approval he does not seek. In this, the punkish PC Music
spirit remains.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/5alfOXbhHF0?feature=oembed
[YouTube Content][1]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
*[Apple][2]{: rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"} is out on
September 18th. You can pre-order it on Bandcamp.* [7][3]{:
rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-style: italic"
target="_blank"}*[G][3]{: rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-style:
italic" target="_blank"} is out now on Bandcamp and most streaming
platforms.*
*Caroline Whiteley is an editor at Electronic Beats. Find her on
[Instagram][4]{: rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"}.*
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/koI7IRSjfxc?feature=oembed
[2]: https://agcook.bandcamp.com/album/apple
[3]: https://agcook.bandcamp.com/album/7g-2
[4]: http://instagram.com/chatbotcaro
---
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blueprint: article
title: 'With ‘7G’ and ‘Apple’ PC Music’s A. G. Cook Makes His Blow-Out Double Debut'
date: 2020-09-15T17:22:57+02:00
wp_id: '189839'
subtitle: 'The enfant terrible of experimental pop pushes the crossover potential of his computer music to the limit'
slug: top-notes-7g-and-apple-pc-music-a-g-cook-makes-debut
teaser_image: legacy/top-notes-7g-and-apple-pc-music-a-g-cook-makes-debut/Screenshot-2020-11-03-at-12.41.32.png
contents:
-
type: text
text: |-
<div class="highlighted separator">Top Notes<br>
<em>A treasure trove of production sketches and noughties-influenced guitar pop</em></div><div class="highlighted separator">Mid Notes<em><strong><br>
</strong></em><em>Hyper-digitized folklore with fruity aesthetics</em></div><div class="highlighted separator">Base Notes<strong><br>
</strong><em>A kaleidoscopic look into the mind a pop music revolutionary</em></div><p>If you’ve engaged in avant-electronics in any kind of way, you will have come across the Midas touch of PC Music. One of the most subversive labels of the last decade went from shaking up raves in Dalston, London in the early 2010’s to becoming the hottest topic of debate in the underground scene–adored by some for their über-conceptual machinations <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hannahdiamond" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hannah Diamond</a> and <a href="https://soundcloud.com/qtofficial/hey-qt" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">QT</a> (the pop star persona created to promote a fictional energy drink) and despised by others, who shunned the label for infiltrating the electronic music scene with their bubblegum pop aesthetics.</p><p>A. G. Cook, PC Music’s founder, has since gone on to produce for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U44-xky1vjw&feature=emb_title" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jónsi</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JVXby5fpcg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caroline Polachek</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKrTCGGEiWY" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Charlie XCX</a>, who tapped him to become her creative director in 2016. Cook’s work draws inspiration from hitmakers Max Martin, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, but unlike these chart-toppers, his productions are rooted in the fringes of post-internet culture, using the computer as a vantage point “not just for making electronic music but for making amateur music that is also potentially very slick, where the difference between bedroom and professional studio production can be very ambiguous.” Throughout his career and work with PC Music, Cook has mostly remained in the background as a producer and songwriter. But now, after years of collaborations and production credits across the pop and electronic music spectrums, he’s stepping out into the spotlight, kickstarting his career as a solo artist with no less than two (but, size-wise, closer to eight) albums. In this week’s Top Notes, we dive into whether his debut album <em>7G</em> and the subsequent <em>Apple</em>, released only within the span of roughly a month, sticks the landing.</p>
-
type: text
text: '<div class="ar-16-9"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_FISlaxnJAA?feature=oembed" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div><p>Cook’s debut album <em>7G</em> is immense in its sheer proportion: its 49 tracks span three discs, each themed by a specific “instrument” that he uses in his compositions–drums, guitar, supersaw (an oscillator often used in the trance genre), piano, Nord (a synthesizer from Swedish brand Clavia), spoken word, and extreme vocals. Disc 1 (or “A.G. Drums”), the most dancefloor-friendly of the bunch, flips breakbeat on its head with satisfyingly jumpy “<a href="https://agcook.bandcamp.com/track/a-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A-Z</a>” and collages chopped-up vocal samples of frequent collaborator Hannah Diamond. Moments of his indie rocker sensibilities and even country guitar riffs bubble up with tracks like “<a href="https://agcook.bandcamp.com/track/drink-blood" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Drink Blood</a>” in Disc 2. And throughout the record, like on the angelic “<a href="https://agcook.bandcamp.com/track/gemstone-break" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gemstone Break</a>,” Cook leads with outcast instruments and sounds–pan flutes, organs, banjos, autotune. By the time <em>7G</em> closes out with “Alright,” an epic pop banger featuring collaborators Polachek and Estonian cloud rapper Tommy Cash, the extent to which Cook attempts to sidestep anything considered “middle of the road” becomes clear. It’s an instant earworm at its most exaggerated peak, the kind that will certifiably make some squirm—one of the damning indictments of the track I’ve heard was a comparison to Owl City’s gruesome late noughties hit “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psuRGfAaju4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fireflies</a>”—to PC Music’s loyal fanbase, it’s pop music at its most perfected peak.</p><p>Mere weeks after releasing <em>7G</em>, Cook now returns with his cheekily titled “second debut album” <em>Apple</em>, named after one of the “most everyday objects, which somehow contains references to almost everything imaginable—from computers to The Beatles, New York to Snow White, and an entire world of history and mythology.” The main ingredients from <em>7G</em> are all there, but where <em>7G</em> strips away the slick packaging PC Music has become known for, on <em>Apple</em> they’re fully realized into Cook’s vision of sleek pop songs.</p><p>Apple, of course, isn’t the first time an artist has dropped two albums in the span of a short time or played with the concept of a “debut”–Frank Ocean’s Endless comes to mind, released only a day before Blonded due to contractual obligations with Def Jam. And in 2017 Equiknoxx described <em><a href="https://soundcloud.com/equiknoxx-sc/sets/colon-man" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Colón Man</a></em>, their follow-up to <em><a href="https://soundcloud.com/equiknoxxmusic/sets/equiknoxx-bird-sound-power-dds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bird Song Power</a></em>, their “debut LP proper,” even though it was released months later.</p>'
-
type: images
images:
- legacy/top-notes-7g-and-apple-pc-music-a-g-cook-makes-debut/CW37_Top_Notes_AGCook_SITE_cover-scaled.jpg
-
type: text
text: '<div class="ar-16-9"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5alfOXbhHF0?feature=oembed" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div><p>However, in comparison to<em> 7G</em>, <em>Apple</em> falls short of adding much more than additional material for A.G. stans. While Apple may be Cook’s most earnest attempt at emotional, full-on pop songwriting, songs like “Beautiful Superstar” or lead single “Oh Yeah” come across as a fully realized trope, a parody of pop-punk ballads from the noughties, though knowing PC Music’s modus operandi of trolling, this, of course, may be exactly the point. There is something very PC Music about this bait-and-switch: following up a body of work that shines in its sincerity and willingness to show its rough edges with a hyper-polished album at the opposite end of the spectrum. “I don’t need you no, yeah,” Cook croons, and although he may be addressing a former lover, he could just as well be speaking to electronic music purists (or critics like myself) whose approval he does not seek. In this, the punkish PC Music spirit remains.</p>'
-
type: text
text: '<div class="ar-16-9"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/koI7IRSjfxc?feature=oembed" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div><p><em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://agcook.bandcamp.com/album/apple" target="_blank">Apple</a> is out on September 18th. You can pre-order it on Bandcamp.</em> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-style: italic" href="https://agcook.bandcamp.com/album/7g-2" target="_blank">7</a><em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-style: italic" href="https://agcook.bandcamp.com/album/7g-2" target="_blank">G</a> is out now on Bandcamp and most streaming platforms.</em></p><p><em>Caroline Whiteley is an editor at Electronic Beats. Find her on <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://instagram.com/chatbotcaro" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.</em></p>'
---
Chunk #1 (Position: 0)
# With ‘7G’ and ‘Apple’ PC Music’s A. G. Cook Makes His Blow-Out Double Debut The enfant terrible of experimental pop pushes the crossover potential of his computer music to the limit Top Notes *A treasure trove of production sketches and noughties-influenced guitar pop* Mid Notes *Hyper-di...
Chunk #2 (Position: 1)
Cook Makes His Blow-Out Double Debut The enfant terrible of experimental pop pushes the crossover potential of his computer music to the limit Top Notes *A treasure trove of production sketches and noughties-influenced guitar pop* Mid Notes *Hyper-digitized folklore with fruity aesthetics* ...
Chunk #3 (Position: 2)
But now, after years of collaborations and production credits across the pop and electronic music spectrums, he's stepping out into the spotlight, kickstarting his career as a solo artist with no less than two (but, size-wise, closer to eight) albums. In this week's Top Notes, we dive into whethe...
Chunk #4 (Position: 3)
In this week's Top Notes, we dive into whether his debut album *7G* and the subsequent *Apple*, released only within the span of roughly a month, sticks the landing. [1]: https://soundcloud.com/hannahdiamond [2]: https://soundcloud.com/qtofficial/hey-qt [3]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U44-xk...
Chunk #5 (Position: 4)
By the time *7G* closes out with "Alright," an epic pop banger featuring collaborators Polachek and Estonian cloud rapper Tommy Cash, the extent to which Cook attempts to sidestep anything considered "middle of the road" becomes clear. It's an instant earworm at its most exaggerated peak, the kin...
Chunk #6 (Position: 5)
It's an instant earworm at its most exaggerated peak, the kind that will certifiably make some squirm---one of the damning indictments of the track I've heard was a comparison to Owl City's gruesome late noughties hit "[Fireflies][5]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"}"---to PC Music's l...
Chunk #7 (Position: 6)
Apple, of course, isn't the first time an artist has dropped two albums in the span of a short time or played with the concept of a "debut"--Frank Ocean's Endless comes to mind, released only a day before Blonded due to contractual obligations with Def Jam. And in 2017 Equiknoxx described *[Colón...
Chunk #8 (Position: 7)
And in 2017 Equiknoxx described *[Colón Man][6]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"}*, their follow-up to *[Bird Song Power][7]{: target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"}*, their "debut LP proper," even though it was released months later. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_FISlaxnJAA?...
Chunk #9 (Position: 8)
"I don't need you no, yeah," Cook croons, and although he may be addressing a former lover, he could just as well be speaking to electronic music purists (or critics like myself) whose approval he does not seek. In this, the punkish PC Music spirit remains. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/5alf...