The Athens, GA based artist Christina Schneider has performed music under a variety of pseudonyms over the years. From CE Schneider Topical to Jepeto Solutions to Christina Schneider’s Genius Grant, she bounced around until settling on the name Locate S,1.
Videos by American Songwriter
In 2018, Schneider released her first LP — Healing Contest — under the Locate S,1 title, and is now following that up with Personalia, which will drop on April 3 via Captured Tracks.
Ahead of the record, Schneider has released a new single, “Whisper 2000” and a corresponding music video directed by Kevin Barnes (who also produced Personalia).
Musically, “Whisper 2000” is an incredibly creative and enticing composition. Sonically reminiscent of Cate Le Bon and Of Montreal (Barnes’ project), the song cascades through melodies, moods and chord changes that would make Bach rejoice.
“I felt like the world was telling me I needed to tone down my songwriting, use less chord changes, be less poetic with my lyrics,” Schneider told American Songwriter. “But that’s the kind of music that comes out of me and that’s what I love. At the same time, I was at a tenuous point in my life. I had just come out of a difficult relationship where I thought if I waited patiently and adapted to the needs of my partner, I would get the things I needed in return.”
“I wanted to be more direct and honest about my own needs,” Schneider continued. “I decided that I wasn’t going to adapt to the world because I believe in myself and what I’m creating. In writing ‘Whisper 2000,’ I decided to commit to myself and not take anyone else’s shit anymore. If people don’t like it, they have the freedom to walk away.”
Schneider writes in a way that makes every measure feel like its own little universe. Through cleverly tying together various lyrical images and musical ideas, “Whisper 2000” feels like the aural equivalent of a candy store; it is both simple and decadent, it is pop brilliance.
Which is why Barnes’ accompanying video is perfect for the song. Capturing both a post-modern and distinctly humanist tone, Barnes’ imagery perfectly matches the cascading nature of Schneider’s music.
“This video is a modern take on divination through Rhapsodomancy,” Barnes said, “in this case messages, warnings and guidance are offered via internet mining and the repurposing of visual content. It’s a form of therapy-collage, in that much can be gleaned from the final order of clips. I no longer bring my dreams to my therapist, I only bring my videos.”
Watch the music video for Locate S,1’s new single “Whisper 2000” below:
