If Ariel Pink is the father of chillwave’s pop pastiche, then consider James Ferraro its weird uncle. Since the demise of his noise-scrape duo the Skaters, Ferraro’s innumerable solo releases have become their own 24-hour cable news cycle. On Far Side Virtual, he makes a glowing, glossy album out of everyday digital detritus.If you can wade through the excruciating sitar-synths, bank-lobby melodies, home-fitness techno, and infomercial drum breaks, Ferraro’s playfulness blips into view: He peddles The New Yorker for your iPad on “Global Lunch” and informs you that Richard Branson’savatar says hi on “Palm Trees, Wi-Fi and Dream Sushi.”
