We continue our "Best of NYC Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year End Best of NYC list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel and DJs).
New York’s Penguin Prison is far from waddling and awkward. In fact, Chris Glover (vocals, instruments, production), who operates under the alias “Penguin Prison,” has developed a smooth, gliding, and sleek sound with the company of notable electronic/pop artists, including members of Holy Ghost and Longpigs. Together they fashion electro-pop dance tracks that would suit club scenes from the underground to the chic, by melding synthesizer loops, computerized blips and bleeps, and disco levity. The bubblegum EP title track, “The Worse It Gets,” dreamy techno-beats and falsetto-vocals of “Something I’m Not,” and singles, a playful and sing-song-y “Animal Animal,” and an infectiously bouncy “A Funny Thing,” demonstrate Penguin Prison’s natural instincts for effervescent, danceable compositions. As a re-mixer for other artists’ tunes, such as Marina and the Diamonds’ “I Am Not a Robot” and Goldfrapp’s “Rocket,” Penguin Prison adds an airy groove to select tracks and transforms them to complement a party atmosphere. – Meijin Bruttomesso