OPM: Brand New You’re Retro

Ed Herbers – Upper Atmosphere

Space-themed ambient concept album that manages to musically capture a bit of the grandeur, scope and mystery of the cosmic realm. Slowly unfolding sheets of synth timbre, languid and minimal guitar lines, and ghosts of melody float among the planets and stars. Time stretches out into the endless vacuum, and you may well lose an hour listening to this without realizing it. 

A few moments here and there are attention grabbing – a snatch of melody that invokes the original Star Trek theme here, an arrangement that threatens to go post rock there. But no matter what, it all flows smoothly together and invokes the stellar subject matter. Apparently most of these tracks were created from fragments of the artist’s pre-existing catalog, but I suspect even if you already knew their work inside and out you still might not recognize much. 

(Listened to the entire album)

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PUMIQUXT – “Hymn to the Scum Goddess”

A ten-minute soundscape/noise art piece inspired by, and directly referencing, Valerie Solanas’s S.C.U.M. Manifesto. If you aren’t familiar with the name, Solanas is best known for shooting Andy Warhol.This piece combines what sounds like quiet, lo-fi readings from her manifesto, layered with lots of warbling, weird noise. 

Static crackles, low drones rumble, the occasional burst of something like FM noise pierces the murk. It’s pretty chill and listenable, as far as noise art goes – no ear-piercing shrieks or hyper compressed “wall of noise” antics here – just the chittering, buzzing and whining sounds of decay, malfunction, and disintegration. 

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Mount Mourn/JeTTTen – Mount Mourn Meets Jettten Again

Extremely minimal experimental album incorporating elements of folk and musique concrete into unusual tunes. Strummed ukulele, weird lo-fi soundscapes, and little bits of incidental noise are the key ingredients. And it all kind of sounds like it was recorded by accident, at a distance – like someone left a tape recorder going one room over while rehearsals were happening. 

That might drive you nuts, or you might find it a fascinating and unique aesthetic. Probably worth giving a couple tracks a shot, even if just because it’s such an unusual approach – they’re nearly all short, too, so the commitment is minimal.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Floby – “Tenderly”

A charming classic rock/pop (with a touch of R&B) song that could have come out in the ‘70s, ‘90s or, obviously, today. The production would shift depending on era, but the vibe remains the same. A few killer riffs, some soulful vocals, a nice mix of stylistic changes and a ripping solo to cork it all off! 

Just about a perfect recipe for this kind of thing. They don’t make many like this any more, and frankly, that is a shame. Should please fans of Prince, Jamiroquai, or any other rock/pop/R&B/funk crossover artist

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Stephen Teter – Escape from AI Island

Smart pop-rock deeply influenced by ‘80s era Bowie, New Wave and alt-rock – tight, a bit funky, and inviting. This is definitely the kind of thing you’d have been thrilled to discover in that era; I suspect there’s enough of us still infatuated with this sound and approach to still form a respectable audience. 

(Hear the rest of the album at PeerTube.)

There’s some nice guitar work here, and the arrangements are solid and serve the material well. The songs all have a strong sense of joy, and they sometimes delve into borderline silliness, such as “Ode to a Packet of Soy Sauce I Found in My Food,” which is exactly what it says on the tin. As long as you’re on board for that, this is a delightful retro pop treat for those of us who know the ‘80s didn’t actually sound like synthwave.

(Listened to the entire album)