The latest release and follow up to their last hit album # 1 shows off the ability of the New York band to mold electro-pop and new wave synth into a sound strikingly original for its genre (whatever mix of dance, fusion, electronic, punk that might be). This disc takes the band’s always tongue-in-cheek music to a new level, with the help of production from Mirwais at moments, lyrics by the late Susan Sontag, vocals and input by Linda Perry and a cover of the Japanese band Boredom’s “Circle.”
Odyssey continues the guitar centric electronic craze that Mirwais is especially fond of but does it in such an original way that the entire disc is an adventure which doesn’t once falter or fail to amuse. The originality and breadth of the sounds embodied in each track are truly a pleasure, and selecting a highlight from the 11 tracks is a challenge.
The disc has three main points that carry it though. It opens with the fast paced and distinctly dancier “Just Let Go,” peaking at the center with the political, Sontag inspired “We Need a War” and closing out with the penultimate “All We Are,” a mesmerizing upbeat Zen mantra dedicated to the unity of things.
Odyssey is a disc that straddles the line between upbeat dancehall punk and electronic chillout tracks, making it versatile and appropriate for both. With a few tracks less memorable than others, the disc as a whole is amazing ear candy, and can even be spiritual and political at moments, creating something worth listening to over and over again. |