If there's one major difference between Oceansize's latest album, Everyone into Position, and their breakout album Effloresce, it would be the accessibility of the former, as compared to the relatively experimental attitude of the latter. Where Effloresce often found the band dallying within all the various subgenres of rock, it also leaned toward deep sonic exploration, sometimes leaving the listener's feelings out of sight, out of mind. The final few tracks might have been too slow, quiet, and unenergetic for many rock fans. Everyone into Position still has these moments, but doesn't wrap them in epic 13-minute tracks. Instead, the band scatters these pieces in random spots of random tracks. Everyone into Position sees the band becoming more direct.
With the heavy experimentation and self-absorbed songwriting out of the way, Oceansize ends up as a very pleasing alternative rock throwback with a touch of creativity and originality. On the surface, the only thing keeping any of the first three tracks from being commercially viable is the length. Everything else screams mid-90s radio rock. However, "Meredith" starts to show the band's less compromising ideals come to the forefront, although many parts of it could, with a bit of "radio editing," still control what remains of FM hard rock radio. "Music for a Nurse," on the other hand, would never see its way onto a radio playlist, but might, if Oceansize were a platinum rock band, be considered their tender ballad, the hidden gem on an album people just bought for the singles.
But let's be serious. Oceansize, no matter their pedigree or ability, is not a radio band. Even if this were their attempt at selling out, no one could dare call them on it, because the band simply has not changed since its last album. It's just as bold, daring, and striking as ever. They've refined their sound, trimmed the excesses, and still seem to be exactly the same band they've always been. They're still the glistening waves on an otherwise stagnant musical sea. In time, those waves could touch shore and burst into a thick, frothy foam, leaving a small trace of themselves for future generations to enjoy, while most of what they've built washes back out to that serene sea.
Will Oceansize be remembered as a band that helped pave the way for future music? The idea seems laughable, seeing as how the band, despite all their talent and charms, wears many of its influences so clearly on their sleeves. Sometimes, the imprints are so deep that, when the band goes topless, you still know they've grown up idolizing Radiohead, Failure, My Bloody Valentine, and Faith No More. But then again, has anyone brought all of those bands together quite like Oceansize? Only time will tell. |