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OdawasThe Aether Eater Jagjaguwar/Reverberation There's something eerily likeable about the omnipresent space sounds that zing and bloop through the body of 'The Aether Eater' by American duo Odawas. At the crux the songs are campfire chords and voice, but they are covered and flanked by reverb, delay and a barrage of synthesised effects. Horns, harpsichords, androgynous space chorales and delectably recorded drum sounds make the 38-minute long album an absorbing trip. The lyrics present one man's existential journey into space and beyond, but it ain't as heavy as it sounds. Words are words after all, and for Odawas the words of Dante are the guiding light. The instrumental pieces are particularly effective, nodding to Badalamenti and sci-fi soundtracks alike. The creepy segue The Bones Of Pangaea, with its distant pattering drums, guitar squiggles and echoing recorder, morphs effortlessly into The Unnamed Sphinx, with me picturing singer Mike Tapscott - a Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500, Luna) soundalike - as a lonely astronaut in a basement around a fake fire, harmonica and all. '2001' and 'Twin Peaks' fans will dig the monologues from Ant Man Messiah Elijah. Kids is apocalyptic-freaky, like a tinderbox in the woods tampered with by the 'Deliverance' hicks. 'The Aether Eater' is a concept record from two quirky guys and while it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, is varied, accomplished and out-there enough to warrant return visits. If you liked Grandaddy's 'The Sophtware Slump' check this one out.  |
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