OPM: New Age No Wave

Odd Person – There Is No Place

A sometimes warm and nearly always fuzzy/lo-fi journey thru downtempo, IDM, ambient, and soundscape. There’s something of a progression from early tracks that feature the shifting chords and intricate beats of classic Warp-school IDM thru some weird, moody abstract downtempo construction, into spacey ambient and soundscape, then back. 

Uniting these somewhat disparate styles is that consistently lo-fi aesthetic (including a love of rain/noise sounds), a minimal production approach, and a strange, dreamlike and almost detached atmosphere. I suspect this one would reward deep listening.

(Listened to the entire album) 

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Catford Gyrations – “Peripheral”

Smokey downtempo built on a boom-bap beat, jazzy organ and bass and a twangy guitar line that falls somewhere between stoned surf and Weird Western. It’s quite a cool vibe that stays fresh by weaving the various elements in and out (there’s also a prominent percussion loop and a few other cool touches) and wrapping things up by the 3:30 mark. 

The b-track, “Zed Eighty” is an immaculate piece of Kraftwerkian electro pop – clean, precise and machine-tooled to perfection. They make for a solid pair and a nice introduction to the artist. 

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Lucia – Só

An inviting collection of arty post punk and ramshackle indie rock/pop delivered in Portuguese and lo-fi production. This one was actually reviewed once before, when it was an EP! But it’s since grown to a full album, mostly by adding a few more pages of the post punk bible – moody goth and noisy freakouts – a bit of straight punk and some pop. 

The last time, I said it “would have sounded right at home on late ‘80s college radio” and I tell you what – that’s even more true with the new material. Definitely worth a listen. 

(Listened to the entire album)

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Professeur Whom vs missing together – Generation Gap

A three-track EP that offers two generationally based different interpretations of the third track, all of them leaning experimental and odd. The first track, “They Make the Laws” (Gen X, I’m thinking) falls somewhere between aggressive noise rock and classic OG industrial, with a seething, noisy instrumental and a howled vocal that would do Throbbing Gristle-era Genesis proud. 

The second track (Gen Z, I presume), “river lights,” is a subdued lo-fi future pop affair, with big 808s, rattling beats and a hushed vocal. The drone track that started it all winds things up, sounding pretty distant to either – and available as a CC license if you want to add your own interpretation to the list.

(Listened to the entire EP)

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Anubis Rude – The Navigator

A lovely set of minimal ambient, drone and kosmische that deeply embraces the relaxing, meditative and hypnotic aspects of those genres. Rich, evocative sound design and production that highlights it helps keep things engaging even when the musical components are repetitive, minimal or static. 

There’s rarely more than a small handful of musical elements in play, allowing a deep focus on what’s important that really allows the individual components to shine. A stirring celebration of synthesis, spacing out, and the stoned bliss of putting on a weird record and letting it take you someplace new.

(Listened to the entire album)

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