Jam of the Day: oOoOO and Islamiq Grrrls - "All of Me"

Atmospheric track from oOoOO and Islamiq Grrrls' collaborative album Faminine Mystique that draws from Dummy-era Portishead.

Jam of the Day: oOoOO - "Stay Here"

Languid track from San Francisco producer oOoOO.

Album Review: oOoOO - Without Your Love

oOoOO
Without Your Love
Rating: Grrrr

San Francisco based producer oOoOO, otherwise known as Chris Dexter, emerged back in 2010 and was immediately lumped into the burgeoning "witch house/drag" scene along with acts like Salem and White Ring. Of course like most over-hyped micro-genres, witch house faded almost as quickly as it exploded, leaving a lot of associated artists either floundering, breaking up, or moving on to other things. oOoOO wisely used his earlier EPs as a springboard to morphing his sound into something less restrictive, embracing everything from ambient, downtempo, trap, experimental techno, to even adding vocals to his tracks. Without Your Love is a fairly dark journey, the viewpoint being that love is a tempestuous place, full of trials and pitfalls, and is barely worth the time and effort. This suite of tracks never feels too oppressive, however, allowing some moments of beauty and light within its haunted shadows.

Opening with the duo tracks "Sirens" and "Stay Here," Without Your Love gets off to a texturally rich start. Manipulated vocals flow in and out of atmospheric washes of synths and samples during "Sirens" before merging into the dark, cavernous beats and lonely vocals of "Stay Here."



Throughout Without Your Love, Dexter shows remarkable dexterity in his production style, tying all the strands together seamlessly without ever seeming heavy handed. Whether it is the DJ Screw-like beats of "The South,"



lonely electronica of "On It,"



or found sounds of "Crossed Wires," the album is a cohesive collection that never fails to impress.

While there is an always present darkness lurking within the shadows of the record, Dexter is not afraid to let a little light in on occasion, offering up some of his most breathtakingly beauty compositions. Title track "Without Your Love" showcases a lovely synth melody along with a heartbreakingly tender vocal,



while closing track "Across A Sea" is a melancholy piano led ballad that ends things on a somewhat hopeful note.



Initially, I kept my hopes low for this debut record, worrying that Dexter would stick to his former sound that had basically faded into obscurity. Thankfully he didn't tread water, building from his sound into something more poignant and moving. While Without Your Love is not going to be in the running for the most "up" record of the year, it is an amazingly produced record that is both intoxicating and challenging.

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 piques 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.

Non-Sequiturs

Beautiful pic.

Beefy daddy.

I think he needs his back scrubbed.

So cute.

Wet fur.

Damn.

Damn damn.

Sexy.

Ripped and wet.

Gorgeous.

Grrrrr.

Sexy chest.

LOL.

Lots of yummy fur.

So cute.

Dapper.

Dazzling.

Hmmmm.

Ginger loveliness.

UNF.

Drool.

Gorgeous fur and eyes.

Assume the position.

Sigh.

Handsome.

Big beef.

DOMA struck down this week and I bawled like a baby in my office. Never in a million years thought I would see this in my lifetime.

Prop 8 dismissed on a technicality, which means no over-arching decision on gay marriage, but at least it means marriages in California are now legal.

And in related news, Scalia go fuck yourself.

In more related news, if Thomas really was chewing gum during the announcement of the decisions, he does not need to be on the Supreme Court. That was severely disrespectful.

And in still more related news, Tim Huelskamp go fuck yourself.

This is so me....except I would have said "existing."

Common sense says that if I have not responded to your last 10 messages to me, it is highly unlikely I am going to respond to the 11th.

Someone commented on my relationship with a former friend, stating that he couldn't determine whether we were terrible friends or really great enemies. I thought it was a very apt description. Honestly, I have no ill will to the person, I just realized there was nothing to be gained from either of us remaining friends so opted to just bow out of it.

I want to see this exhibit so bad.

What is up with women wearing nude color shoes all of sudden? They look like they are wearing silly putty.

I had a blast two weekends ago at Peach Party here in Atlanta (Atlanta's version of a circuit party).  I think I am still recovering from all the fun.

At work, I really to remind myself that when I have my headphones on to remember whether my office door is open or not.

Amen sister.

Last time I checked alcohol was considered a drug.

While I really couldn't care less about the Paula Deen scandal, it amazes me how quick people were to pillory her for something that she admitted to saying 20 years ago. Do I think she is racist? Probably not. But I am sure all of us have things we have said in anger or stupidity 20 years ago too. Am I worried about Paula Deen? No. She's a millionaire, and once this has died down, she will continue to be a millionaire.

Not sure why this came up, but here are my Top Ten favorite Madonna songs (not in any order):

"Gone"
"Bad Girl"
"Give It To Me"
"Physical Attraction"
"Deeper and Deeper"
"Sanctuary"
"Drowned World/Substitute For Love"
"Music"
"Get Together"
"Heartbeat"

Strangely, the new Black Sabbath album doesn't suck.

Yep.

What is with the strange insistence on using Skype these days?

Cloud Atlas is a phenomenal movie. I need to see it again so I can catch all the stuff I missed the first time.

I really hate when there is a lull in work and I have nothing to do. Starts making me paranoid.

Why can't people just be honest?

How am I just figuring out that Jody Watley was in Shalamar?

Agreed.

It's amazing how many people I know that drop off the face of the earth when they start dating someone.

Some people need to have photoshop taken away from them.

Why is it I always want to get a tattoo during the summer, which is the worst time to get one?

Don't get me wrong, I can immerse myself in electronic music all day long, but sometimes I just need a guitar based album. Unfortunately, the new Lloyd Cole is not fitting the bill.

Shorts are never appropriate at a nice restaurant.

Your cute for the day.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"I was born with my back to the stars
Turn me over, I’d like to see
Here comes the morning to end our dream
Turn me over, I’d like to see
I was born with my back to the stars
Please see that they tell my truth
Please see that they tell my truth
So who’s your favorite superhero?
Or did we lose the fear?
Or maybe we just don’t need saving
But while we’re here
Could you tell me when the lights come on?
This does not feel like home
If it’s something that I paid for
It should be something that I own
So don’t we look pretty with nowhere to go?
It’s cool to be lonely, didn’t you know?
I think I’ll marry a stranger that I met online
It’s not that it’s not love, it’s just a sign of the times
Of the time
If only we could learn some patience
I’ll take a course
Or maybe we should split the money
Go straight for divorce
Could you tell me when we fall in love?
Or just write it down
Let me know if you find my feelings
Just if you see them around
So don’t we look pretty with nowhere to go?
It’s cool to be lonely, didn’t you know?
I think I’ll marry a stranger that I met online
It’s not that it’s not love, it’s just a sign of the times
Of the time
Oh, I need a feeling, I need a fix
To take me on driving, we could sleep in the stakes
It’s too much, too easy, long for the chase
I long for the gaps and the words, I long for the space
So don’t we look pretty with nowhere to go?
It’s cool to be lonely, didn’t you know?
I think I’ll marry a stranger that I met online
It’s not that it’s not love, it’s just a sign of the times
Of the time."

Until the Ribbon Breaks
"2025"

"Big Light
I was stuck in the ground
Trying to cover my eyes.
Trying to move all this light.
I spent all night
Trying to remember your face.
Like trying to get blood from a stone.
But there was nothing to save.
And no one to lie to.
And I watched as the bone dust hung in the sky.
Like a dim flock of endless prayers.
And I spent my days out chasing the wind.
Trying to turn gold from your hair.
But there was nothing to save
In the flux and decay
Of the changing winds."

Houses
"Big Light"

"When you come to me,
I'll question myself again;
Is this grip on life still my own?

When every step I take
Leads me so far away,
Every thought should bring me closer home.

And there you stand,
Making my life possible.
Raise my hands up to heaven,
But only you could know.

My whole world stands in front of me,
By the look in your eyes.
By the look in your eyes.
My whole life stretches in front of me,
Reaching up like a flower,
Leading my life back to the soil.

Every plan I've made's
Lost in the scheme of things.
Within each lesson lies the price to learn.

A reason to believe
Divorces itself from me;
Every hope I hold lies in my arms.

And there you stand,
Making my life possible.
Raise my hands up to heaven,
But only you could know.

My whole world stands in front of me,
By the look in your eyes.
By the look in your eyes.
My whole life stretches in front of me,
Reaching up like a flower,
Leading my life back to the soil."

David Sylvian
"Brilliant Trees"

Appealing Things

Andrew saying yes
oOoOO
A weekend full of sun and pool time
Woodkid
Fresh bread
Kill J
Edith Windsor
Wendy Davis

Annoying Things

Antonin Scalia, the most despicable person ever to sit on the Supreme Court
Steven Tyler working with Skrillex and Deadmau5
People who wear a belt with suspenders
Chatting with people who give you one word answers
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Balam Acab: Wander/Wonder

Balam Acab
Wander/Wonder
Rating: Grrrr

It seems the past couple of weeks has been all about the second albums from members lumped into the chillwave genre, most shedding that genre entirely while others making slight changes to their sound, but all to very lackluster effect. This week seems to be the change over to witch house, the much maligned genre that appeared out of nowhere and then faded out just as quickly. The hallmarks of witch house included torpid tempos, ghostly backing synths, manipulated vocals/samples, and hints of Southern rap. Balam Acab, 20 year old instrumentalist Alec Koone, was lumped into the witch house category (his debut EP See Birds contained many of the witch house elements, but never truly felt like it belonged along the likes of the notable bands such as Salem and oOoOO) but has since forged his own path ahead.

Wander/Wonder does retain the witch house template (glacial BPMs, icy keyboards and textures, and a reliance on pitch-shifted vocal samples), however, Koone is not as interested in creating a sense of dread as are most of his contemporaries. Instead, we see a studied variation of almost classical tones with Eno-esque ambient leanings. Most of the tracks are also steeped in a liquidy atmosphere, from the album cover art of an ocean fissure to the overall sound quality of the album, sounding like it were recorded deep in a diving bell. First track "Welcome" burbles and gurgles like ships emerging from a watery grave, lurching forward with industrial tinged percussion and the haunting, almost operatic vocal sample.



These classical touches appear all over the record, moving in a different direction from most electronic music these days that too readily rely on more R&B samples. "Oh, Why" is a gentle, pastoral track featuring lovely harp interludes unified with a child-like pitch shifted vocal.



Closing track "Fragile Hope" effortlessly blends all these elements together into a gorgeous tableau. The sonics are so textured you can almost feel the water dripping onto your skin.



Koone provides only slight hints at what he wants you to feel for or take from his tracks. The titles are minimal and vague, giving only slight signposts for the journey. He chooses to let his music speak for itself. "Now Time" evokes feelings of floating underwater, allowing time and space to cease.



That's not to say that Wander/Wonder is all background music. The tracks are so sonically dense it truly immerses you in its insular world. If ever an album called for headphones it is this. "Apart" expertly juggles several different textural elements, the scraping, off-kilter drum loop, dripping background effects, and pitch-shifted vocal, all working together to create a true whole.



"Expect" uses heavenly vocals interspersed with chiming harps and buzzing synths lull the listener into a false sense of calm, before the drum machine kicks in to what is probably the only semi-frantic moment on the record.



Wander/Wonder defies expectations because it truly showcases an artist unwilling to be pigeonholed into a genre. Had he just released See Birds II it is likely he would have faded into obscurity, instead of taking a huge leap forward with his sound, and releasing one of the most striking records of the year.

Rating Guide

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.