Returnal

Oneohtrix Point Never is Daniel Lopatin and he hails from Brooklyn.
(Brooklyn Oh Brooklyn How Sweet The Many Sounds You Breathe!!)

The sonic landscapes he has created on his new album 'Returnal'
show evidence of a distinctive creative presence and lively mind.

There are eight pieces in the collection and its greatest strength
lays in its refusal to settle down into any kind of cosy or predictable
formula. Mr Lopatin keeps us guessing and engaged from beginning
to end. His slippery use of technology never becomes more powerful
or intrusive than his very human touch. The sum effect of his labours
are as affecting as they are intellectually beguiling.

Things kick off in a blaze of violent white light and noise with the
cacophonous mayhem of 'Nil Admirari' ("Marvel At Nothing" - Horace :
The Epistles, Book I : Epistle VI). The explosive shards of sound scatter
in all directions from an impenetrable core. Distorted fragments rise
and fall in the mix like lost souls hopelessly trying to regain corporeality.
A marvellous articulation of some kind of hell on earth.

The luminous rotating patterns of the next two tracks ('Describing Bodies' and
'Stress Waves') offer both relief and the possibility of salvation from the
violence just unleashed upon us. Meditative, organic and strangely beautiful,
this is music to calm and to heal.

The spiky rhythmic structure of title track 'Returnal' embodies an eerie sense
of fun. The dream-like atmosphere is shot through with delightfully wobbly
vocal constructions which conjure images of a chorus of small furry animals
engaged in some primitive arcane rite and incantation. (It really does!)

The ground under our feet shifts and slides from side to side and up and down
within the elusive spiraling textures of 'Pelham Island Road'. An uncertain journey.
Cinematic. extraterrestrial and enchanting.

'Where Does Time Go' poses an age-old question and offers up an answer of sorts.
Mr Lopatin propels us forward through the tunnels and synapses of his fertile
imagination in one long undulating wave of gentle harmonic modulation.

The quasi-symphonic sonorities of 'Ouroboros' are simply sublime.

Final track 'Preyouandi' brings this extraordinary album to an agitated and
fidgety conclusion. A primal lake of bubbling chemical soup which may well
have given birth to everything we have just heard and to which it may all return.

A compelling and curiously satisfying contribution to the listening world.

Recommended.

This is an interesting album. Maybe not having immediate appeal, but worth getting to know and taking a bit of time over.

The first three tracks - 'Nil Admirari', 'Describing Bodies' and 'Stress Wave's form a kind of triptych. 'Nil Admirari' launches straight in, no warning, as noise. It is noise. You'd kind of think that if you hit ALL the notes then you'd manage, somewhere in there, to hit the RIGHT notes. 'Nil Admirari' proves otherwise. But it gradually resolves itself into grand organ chords and slips fairly seamlessly into 'Describing Bodies'. This is a 'gentle giant' of a track - big, big organ sounds overlying other barely discernable instruments - a bit like a remixed 'Rainbow In Curved Air', which is no bad thing. Still, this track morphs into 'Stress Waves', swathes of soft sounds slightly reminiscent of 'Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares' or even maybe Vangelis's 'Memories Of Green'.

The title track 'Returnal' is the most immediately appealing. A strong rhythmic structure topped with breathy treated vocals, reminding me of Jon Hassell and B Eno in it's mix of electronica and 'natural' sound.

'Pelham Island Road' is more atonal, simple on the face of it, but strange tropical animal noises haunt the background, slowly taking over and becoming progressively scarier as the track progresses, like a jungle reclaiming suburbia. In feel, it's almost reminiscent of J G Ballard - maybe 'The Crystal World' - that sense of surreal decay.

'Where Does Time Go' is kind of 'Heavenly Music Corporation' Frippertronics and Tangerine Dream. It swirls, repetitively, and timelessly. It is a beautiful track to loose yourself in.

'Ouroboros' reminds me of the 'Discreet Music' album, with it's mix of cushiony synth sounds and underwater instruments. Gentle, short.

'Preyounadi' is back to those jungle sounds; more percussive this time, almost 'musique concrete' but echoey and somehow wet - a gritty, steamy sound a bit like 'Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict' but with an underlying Jon Hassell/Brian Eno organic synth sound. And soft, inarticulate vocals. It's remarkably evocative but not immediately appealing, repaying repeated listening.

And that's kind of like the whole album. There are one or two immediately appealing tracks; the rest need a bit of work. But if you're prepared to put that work in, then it is a genuinely interesting album and I'm looking forward to more.

(N.B. Bit rate displayed in iTunes is around 220Kbps VBR (Variable Bit Rate)).

I had heard some of this and loved the tone and purity of his sound. Buying the cd was a great idea- well produced/ innovative and powerful. Some American electronic music is excellent-here is a good example.