Ozone Player - E
Visual Power Records - #VP004
10 Tracks - 49:01
This album is in every sense the follow-up to Ozone Player's
first commercially-available album, Insane Logic. I think it's
fair to say that everything about it is that bit more developed,
more detailed, the brush strokes finer. Simply put - it's
more /professional/ than its predecessor.
That's not to denigrate the first album in any way - it's
a measure of the amount of sheer hard work and bucketloads
of time that must have involved in making this one better.
Anyhow, I've decided not to do a track-by-track account of
it, because those sorts of review rarely do anything for
me personally. The only track I /will/ mention by name,
however, is the one entitled 'Ollism'. This is Otso taking
his hand-tool obsession to extreme. Gepeto on speed making
a Terminator T-1000 out of balsa wood and rubber cement.
It's amazing ! Streets ahead of the Art of Noise or Zoolook,
and I don't say that lightly; There has obviously been a
lot of time spent on analysing each sound for its rhythmic
application, not to mention the fact that the samples are
exceptionally clean.
Otso used quite a few guest musicians on this disk, and
what I find incredible is the way he has communicated
his musical ideas to them - every instrument sounds like
it is being played by one entity, one mind with the same
vision. I don't usually make such grand comparisons, but
in this case, I have to say that in terms of common
vision amongst players, this is right up there with
Captain Beefheart or Frank Zappa. Also, technically speaking,
it's obvious that everyone involved knows their chops,
inside-out, back-to-front. Some of the 'highwire acts'
they pull off, switching between time signatures and
keys, is pretty scary. If the names Zappa, Mahavishnu
or ELP start to get you interested, I would certainly
make sure you check out this disc.
It's a full-frontal attack on your listening ability
in terms of musical depth - you certainly need to have
the Left Brain engaged to make the most of this one.
However, with that said, the sounds used are always
very well balanced and polished at the edges, never
pressing your temples in a vice-like grip. So while
you can't let it wash over you like a warm bubble
bath, you won't feel fatigued and headachey either,
unlike a lot of noise/industrial albums out there.
So, overall, this is not the sort of album I would
choose to listen to after a hard day, when I just
want to chill. It's more for those times when you
want to listen to something with depth which can be
actively explored in real time - when you can afford
the time to take delight in the discovery of
previously hidden gems, making connections which are
not immediately obvious to the casual listener.
I wouldn't class this as 'classic EM' by any stretch
of the imagination, but if you're looking to try
something interesting in the field of instrumental
music, something which could push your envelope a
little, then look no further.
And one last thing - it grows, but it took me a good
few spins to get a handle on it. If you do bag yourself
a copy, be prepared to spend some effort getting into it -
but it'll be time well spent.
Grant Middleton (Under the Dome)