AGING ECCENTRICS RECONCILING IN COMMUNION
Though not for the same reasons as their recent releases, whether it was the fantastic Twin Peaks covers of Plays The Music Of Twin Peaks or the brazen experimentalism of Girl With Basket Of Fruit, OH NO still garnered intrigue through its ensemble. A duet album from Xiu Xiu, a band whose collaborations never landed on their eleven prior LP's, promised some form of change. Though the result is, admittedly, quite messy and despondent. Names both prominent and obscure fill the tracklist, whether it's Sharon Van Etten ('Sad Mezcalita'), Deb Demure of Drab Majesty ('I Cannot Resist'), or Jonathan Meiburg ('It Bothers Me All The Time') of Blue Water White Death: Jamie Stewart's one-off side project. The gamut has been run, and with it, the curdling of identity. Much like HEALTH's 2020 collaboration DISCO4 :: PART I - of which Xiu Xiu makes an appearance on 'Delicious Ape' - accommodations are made, compromising the artist's singular vision by reducing extremities to meet in the middle. Some are more obvious than others, but the general philosophy of OH NO is this: Feature first, Xiu Xiu second.
You can hear it on 'Rumpus Room,' a clunky and contrived Liars cut destined for the cutting room floor. On it, the two eccentrics battle nonconformity in obnoxious ways that's decidedly unenjoyable. However, when separated, you get Liars' 'Mess On A Mission' and Xiu Xiu's 'Pumpkin Attack On Mommy & Daddy.' The same can be said, to some extent, for 'Sad Mezcalita' and 'A Classic Screw.' Just two examples of contesting styles resulting in confused and sloppy products. It doesn't help that Stewart's at his most languid, quivering like Scott Walker, which twists the hand of strenuous production techniques, as seen on the taxing 'Grifters' and the muddled 'Goodbye For Good.' None of these songs pierce with clarity and emphasis, as we've come to expect from the group, especially following Girl With Basket Of Fruit.
However, as with any collaboration album (see also: The National's I Am Easy To Find), realization is bound to be born from strange betrothals. Like a chef stirring contrasting ingredients hoping for a delectable taste. There are four instances containing such a result, all coming in OH NO's second half. Five, if we include 'One Hundred Years,' though I'm weary of doing so because, despite it being good, one can't help but argue it's dominated by Chelsea Wolfe and her brand of Gothic Rock. 'I Dream Of Someone Else Entirely' is a lovely little Folk ballad featuring Owen Pallett that capitalizes on Xiu Xiu's often understated forays into the genre. 'Saint Dymphna' is a cerebral communion of left-field and Pop, as Twin Shadow assumes the role of mediator, featuring OH NO's best hook. 'Knock Out' is quaint and quirky, as Alice Bag confidently and convincingly assimilates to Xiu Xiu's style, rather than the other way around. Here, comparisons to mid-2000's Xiu Xiu can be felt. Then there's 'A Bottle Of Rum,' the lead single and ultimately best track. This is your crowning collaboration, if only for the fact that both sides find common ground in something new. Between Art Pop and Ambient Pop lies Dream Pop, and to hear Grouper glide across warm, blustery drums leaves a sensation - and a desire - of wanting more. Dishearteningly, the same feeling I had as a whole, as 'ANTS' jabbered away at the end of OH NO.
No comments:
Post a Comment