Oneohtrix Point Never: Replica - Album Review

Oneohtrix Point Never
Replica
Rating: Woof Daddy

What do you want from music? Do you want something to work out to, or something to fit into the background as just comfort noise? Do you want to be challenged, or do you want something predictable? With me, generally, I want something I haven't heard before, something that makes me want to go back again and again; though that's not to say just a simple, great melody won't pull me in. What I like about electronic artist Daniel Lopatin is that he is so restless, he has several different names he creates under, so that he has a persona for each style of music he is into. Whether it is 80s pop that he performs first under Games and then as Ford & Lopatin, or synth drone music under his main name, Oneohtrix Point Never. And none of his side projects are merely throwaways, each is performed expertly and with the same amount of enthusiasm. His work as Oneohtrix Point Never is by far the more challenging and experimental side of his personality. Replica is his fifth album under the name, and like his previous album Returnal, is slowly making the sounds more accessible. Moving away from pure drone soundscapes, touches of melody and sheer overwhelming beauty wash over these tracks. There is still that edge to them though, like they could break and fall apart at any moment. This tension is what makes this record so endlessly fascinating. Where on Returnal, Lopatin sometimes used harsh textures to pull you out of the reverie, they often came at the wrong points, which tended to break the tension and harmed the flow of the record. Here, these textures are incorporated within the tracks and the constant buzzing and white noise aspects maintains a better pace.

Replica has a lovely, analogue warmness that permeates the entire experience, as if a long lost Boards of Canada/AIR drone album had surfaced. But don't be put off by the word "drone," as this album transcends that genre more often than not. Using more samples and found sounds, Replica has a lived-in, antique feel that sounds like something you have heard in the corners of your mind your entire life, or recalling memories of film soundtracks from childhood you just can't place. On this record, I am partial to the glacial soundscapes he continually surprises with. "Submersible" and "Power of Persuasion" both echo towering, futuristic cityscapes from Bladerunner. "Power of Persuasion" practically aches with longing.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

"Remember" is a series of low, buzzing synth drones that slowly build and release under brief passages of noise and static.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

And by far the highlight of the album is the title track. "Replica" takes Lopatin's most simple piano melody and counterpoints it with blasts of analog synths. This dichotomy between the beautiful and harsh is elegantly rendered.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

And final track, "Explain," is a gorgeous homage to some of Eno's most wondrous ambient works; featuring lovely choruses of angelic synths.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

But what sets Replica apart from most drone albums, is the playfulness and whimsy within. A whole series of tracks are built upon seemingly disparate samples that shouldn't work together, but somehow find a way to transcend their gangliness. "Sleep Dealer" has clipped vocal samples from what sounds like an Electric Company sketch, breathing exercises, and lots of background drones and chirps.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

"Nassau" also creates a bouncy charm with sliced and diced syllables and found noises, evoking a street scene in a tropical location.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

"Up" is a brilliant combination of chugging rhythms, goofy vocal samples, and swirling electronics.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

But this all just the teaser for the most accomplished track, "Child Soldier," which takes the experimentalism to a new level, making it overtly political. Merging clattering percussion, militant vocal samples, children's sing-songs, and haunting, aching drones of synth strings, the track bursts with anger and beauty, evoking a child's point of view changing from starry eyed, to cynical and resigned.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica by Mexican Summer

Replica is a challenging album, but not frustratingly so. Lopatin infuses these tracks with so many interesting nooks and crannies, it take multiple listens to hear everything that is going on within each track, and I am still finding new melodies and new sounds. I'm not going to say this is a record for everyone, I mean, it is a drone album, but for those with more adventurous tastes, Replica is one of the best albums of the year and well worth the investment.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.