OPM: This One’s Got Tunes

My Turning Point – If You Want Rock, You Got It

Authentic and heartfelt set of no-frills rock songs in the vein of classic singer-songwriter rock albums of yore. Honestly, the title pretty much nails it – rock, served neat, without a subgenre or gimmick to be found. The previous My Turning Point songs I’ve covered always felt a little like MTV Unplugged style takes – now it’s been plugged in and turned up for proper rocking. 

Some really nice guitar work flashes here and there, and the singing is impassioned and powerful – hints of everything from Lennon to Ben Gibbard in the voice and delivery, but in a style distinctively his own. Most importantly, there are some well written, nicely produced songs here – the heart of any rock record is the tunes, and this one’s got them. Check it out. 

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Demifiend – Umbram

Classic synth pop that sounds like it could have come out in 1988 on a small indie label. This would have sat nicely between Human League and Depeche Mode on a mixtape or college radio set, right down to the warm and soft production vibe and mix of warm analog and icy FM synth sounds. 

Percolating and/or squelchy synths, atmospheric pads, and soft, delicate, almost reserved vocals are the core, with a few guitar touches (or is that another synth…) for spice. It all comes together well, and the songs are strong enough to make it worthwhile. A deliciously cool retro synth pop delight.

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Matt Young – Kick and Scream

Smart, engaging set of omnivorous, poppy rock songs with a timeless vibe. Piano and guitar are both deployed to bring these songs to life, along with some organ, bass guitar, drums, and other rock and roll staples. Topping it all off is an apt voice – neither too polished, nor too raw; heartfelt and earnest. 

There’s a unique personality stamped on every note here, but no particular genre or style – any one of these songs could appear on a ‘70s film soundtrack or a ‘90s indie rock college radio and sound perfectly at home in either place. The songs are the thing, rather than flashy production or virtuosic riffs and licks. Good thing they’re more than up to the task.

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Carmine Rebellion – Delineation

Guitar-driven melodic metal/hard rock focused on the trans experience in the UK. The guitar work at the heart of this album is stellar – skillful, inventive, and diverse. Anthemic hair metal riffs, hardcore-style chug, bluesy licks, and more are all incorporated into this heady and surprising mix. 

The songs around the riffs mix it up a bit too – a single song might vamp between a couple of genre poles without ever settling on one, then add a third for the bridge. It makes for a fun journey for guitar-music lovers.

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Ultra Medium Frequency – My Hand, the Sun, the Body and its Spoils

Lo-fi industrial dungeon synth with spoken word and narrative elements. Raw, distorted and rich, the timbres of this include the usual General MIDIesque dungeon synth sounds, but they’re so distorted and warped here as to be almost unrecognizable. 

Everything here is gritty, distorted, raw – from the actual sound to the narrative, which is dark and violent. A really interesting album that answers the question: what if the experiments of early Throbbing Gristle had been a complete success?