OPM: Waves and Not Waves

Bad Guys Get Dead – Space Cadet: Galaxy Edition

A rich and varied post synthwave science-fiction concept album about humanity’s successors that’s also a soundtrack to a pinball game. You get a big chunk of that sci-fi story in the initial track as voiceover; the rest comes from occasional samples that expand on the intro, and the impeccable musical vibe. 

These tunes show a deep knowledge of and appreciation for the genre’s roots. Flashes of New Wave classics, nods to iconic film scores and even the odd hint of glam metal can all be spotted doing work here. Utilizing the materia prima of the synthwave universe, and not afraid to reimagine its place and purpose, Bad Guys Get Dead delivers a truly realized and deep musical experience. (Get more info on the backstory, and PLAY the pinball game, via this cool minisite dedicated to the album.) 

(Listened to the entire album) 

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Bit Cloudy – US Nadir

Fuzzy, buzzy, scuzzy industrial-laced IDM deployed in the form of an instrumental protest album. Dusty samples, distorted timbres and a generally rough-hewn and noise-friendly aesthetic are the order of the day. These tunes wheeze, creak and shake along their path, but underneath it all there’s a sense of power and clarity of purpose – they’re meant to do that. 

The production and writing are impressive, just bursting with interesting ideas and clever touches. There’s a relentless curiosity and experimental spirit at work here, filling the material with surprises big and small. It put me in mind of classic Meat Beat Manifesto, which brought a similarly broad and eclectic approach to a similar influence set. Recommended.

(Listened to the entire album) 

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Undercat – Adventures

Chiptune, electro, techno and trance elements, plus a bit of rock, taken apart and reforged into intriguing abstract musical shapes. The album (or EP+ as it is self described) is well conceived and executed to build to an impressive musical climax with “Random Pieces of Specific People.”

That track starts off with the same core, leans into the trance and then evolves into a heavy, stomping rock song that almost sounds like a lost Joy Division tune. The album wraps on a hypnotic return to the base approach, making for a pleasant coda to an engaging electronic thrill ride. 

(Listened to the entire album) 

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The Eclecticians – Big Lanterns

Conscious rap in the classic tradition livened up with some intriguing production and a touch of genuine weirdness. (And really, weren’t the best of those classics pretty goddamn weird?) Touches like ratcheting hi-hat patterns that crisscross the stereo field, acid basslines, and exotic vocal treatments make for some interesting beats, and the raps that sit atop them are often just as off kilter. 

The best of these, like “Bang Your Head,” an electro rap ode to heavy metal music and headbanging, marry the weirder production with the weirder raps. It’s an intriguing take that finds plenty of unusual twists on the genre.

(Listened to the entire album)

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HawaiiWorms – Kiosk 67

Fascinating distillation and resynthesis of the elements of goth rock and dark pop into an icy, alienated final form. Detached, reverb-soaked vocals; string pads over electronic beats; hypnotic arpeggios; and even a little post punk guitar, all chosen and utilized to lean into the black hole of romantic angst at the heart of the genre. 

The production sells it and it works quite well. while the songs offer some interesting construction, leaning almost abstract. There’s no lack of hooks, they’re just not necessarily used in the typical ways. It serves the overall vibe quite well and the EP as a whole approaches some dark synth pop form ideal. 

(Listened to the whole EP)