When I first heard of Felix Obelix’s latest undertaking I kind of scratched my head in bewilderment. When Wendy Spitzer’s Felix Obelix first appeared on the Carolina music scene in 2010 they immediately began to turn heads. Her debut record The Tick of the Clock, The Beat in the Chest was filled intricately woven pieces of art-pop excellence, drawing in listeners with both its rich complexities and simplistic pop structures as well. Nobody could doubt that the classically trained Spitzer was one of the area’s most talented new artists. So when Felix Obelix went through such a long period of stagnation for local artists, many wondered what had happened to the promising act.
Little did we know Spitzer was biding her time by crafting insanely dense, yet brief pieces of vibrant music.
The Ringtone Album is Felix Obelix’s latest offering, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Inspired by the often mundane tones that we become so frequently attached to, Spitzer decided to craft a 30-track album of one minute songs that were intended to be consumed as ringtones. While many may scoff at an idea so far out in left-field, the folks at Potluck Records warmed up to it pretty quickly and agreed to put the album out before even hearing it. When you debut with as strong a record as Tick of the Clock… though, one can understand why.
The Ringtone Album is filled with just over thirty minutes of whimsy, much to my surprise I found myself unable to turn away from these brilliant tunes. I spoke with Wendy on Oct. 25 to find out what her reasoning was behind this concept and found myself pleasantly surprised at the answers. Throughout the thirty minute conversation Wendy disclosed a bit of her inspiration for the idea and how she intends the record to be consumed, but the conversation quickly morphs into the state of the recording industry and how this unique idea fits within that structure.