OPM: Experiments, Soundtracks and Synth Pop

Dr. Lämmerbein – Autism TikToks

Electro, IDM and soundscape elements combine and cavort in surprising configurations on this wild ride of an album. At different points it’s equal parts weird, comforting and catchy, sliding from familiar musical forms and sounds to inexplicable and inscrutable digressions. 

Somehow, despite oscillating between easy to swallow electro grooves and utterly abstract sound FX workouts, there’s a consistent aesthetic and vibe that ties it all together as a singular work. Never less than interesting and usually downright fascinating, this is one to remember.

(Listened to tracks 2, 4, 7, 8, 13, 14)

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ẓavajêr – la matière même du temps

A drum machine, sound effects and some spoken word are fused together into a baker’s dozen experimental tracks. Each track is here and gone before you know it – the longest barely tops two minutes; the shortest clocks in under 50 seconds. In their short time, the rhythm-forward tracks evoke musique concrete (use of sound effects and spoken word recordings) and early industrial/EBM (heavy drums, minimal arrangements, weird noises), along with a touch of film score, noise and various experimental approaches. 

Based on the liner notes, there seems to be a deep concept at work here as well, but it’s hard to comment on its execution since I don’t speak French, the language it’s in. Regardless, these ultra quick hits are a great format for this kind of experimental exploration since they never wear out their welcome.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Bandstahl – “Oceans Breathe”

A lush, intriguing, retro-leaning piece of ambient synth pop with lite vaporwave tendencies. It’s a lovely, vibrant mix of gentle synth arpeggios, velvety choir pads, some water sounds and a lot of nice reverb. 

This track would sound right at home on one of those New Age/world music comps they used to sell on late night TV, right down to the accented spoken/sung/rapped vocal. Definitely worth checking out for fans of this kind of music.

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Davide Bucci – Silk Dust OST

A soundtrack to a retro styled text adventure game that blends grand orchestral pieces, piano-led tunes and a few more overtly electronic tracks. Musically it leans into the neo classical realms that soundtracks so often do, and the results definitely put me in mind of a certain long ago gaming sessions. 

The music is strong enough that no interest in or knowledge of the game is necessary, but if the musical themes and neo classical vibe catch your fancy and get you curious, the Bandcamp album page has enough info to get you going.

(Listened to tracks 1 thru 7)

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DFF Sound System – Letters EtC

Extremely minimal and abstract experimental electronics that mostly forgo beats and opt for weird loops of sound, rhythmic clicks and noise in their place. The creator’s marked it as experimental/beatless hip hop; it reminds me of stuff that came out around the time Aphex Twin was releasing his first records under various aliases. 

Genre aside, it’s constantly shifting, generally weird amalgamations of everything from nice acid lines to grating loops of noise. Elements rarely outstay their welcome, and the pace stays lively enough to keep things from going stale. Oh, and it’s a concept EP about letters!

(Listened to the entire EP)

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