OPM: Weird Frontiers

The Phantasm Spasm Band – Easy Queasy

A weird and wild funhouse ride thru noise rock, old-school industrial, experimental electronic music, and a dozen other things. You won’t have to guess what some of those things are; if the song titles like “Coiled” and “Bungled” don’t tip you off, the liner notes outright tell you. Your ears will tell you, too, if you’re familiar with the source. 

This isn’t pastiche, tho – it’s all filtered thru a singularly oddball perspective that renders even obvious influences into something distinctively its own. Some of that is the minimal arrangements, unusual aesthetic decisions, and use of repetition, but mostly it’s just an ineffable and deeply charming vibe.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Stephen Teter – “PDX”

A driving, percussion-forward, techno-flavored Big Beat track with political leanings. Percussion loops, breakbeats and a thumping kick drum all push the track forward, and a squiggling synth line slides around the top of it to turn things up. The seasoning is field recording samples from Portland street protests, seemingly culled from the video that accompanies the track. 

(And warning, the video has a lot of police violence and some blood in it.) Alone the track is an energetic workout with some nice sounds and unusual samples; together with the video it makes for an unsettling audiovisual experience of police brutality against protestors.

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Arcane Synthetic – A New Era & Nothing More: Part 1

Wide-ranging experimental conceptual album that weaves together diverse threads including drone, spoken word, electro, industrial, ambient, and metal. What could be jarring shifts in tone and intensity are largely smoothed over by an overriding dark aesthetic and held together by the overarching concept, about a synthetic being researching humanity. 

This is definitely an album you’ll enjoy more if you embrace the concept–read the liner notes, listen to the lyrics and spoken passages, etc. Not to say you can’t just let it all wash over you, but the full experience requires a degree of engagement. Give it what it asks, and you’ll find a great deal of interesting ideas and execution in service of its story.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Fold – “Resistance, Refusal, Ridicule”

A funky and soulful downtempo track with a spoken-word political message for our times. Sharp, funky breaks, a tight bass groove, strings, horns and a choir bring a cheerful, cinematic and upbeat vibe to the proceedings. 

The cut up political message, encouraging the titular “resistance, refusal and ridicule,” weaves in and out of the beat, fitting in nicely to the overall groove and mood. If there’s any complaint to be made, it’s just a bit too short! I could definitely have vibed for another minute or three… 

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Sockpuppet – Transitions

An interesting mix of indie/folk/chamber pop songs and instrumentals that lean into acoustic instruments and a DIY vibe. Acoustic guitars, strings, piano and what sound like real drums are the heart of the music. Topping it off is a charmingly imperfect voice–engaging and emotional, occasionally wavering, almost faltering from time to time. 

It adds a lovely, rough-hewn charm to the polished arrangements, making for nicely complementary textures. The songs are raw and personal, coming from a time of deep meaning for the artist, and the emotions within tend to the ragged and real – no clever wordplay or irony to obfuscate these feelings. 

(Listened to the entire album)

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Need a little more music? I’ve just released my new album, The Mechanics of Mysticism, and I’d appreciate it if you took a minute to check it out! It’s my finest work to date and a true representation of my aesthetics and capabilities as a musician. Plus, it’s real weird, just trippy as hell. I hope you like it.