Tuesday 21 September 2010

Better later than (Oneohtrix Point) Never...


Ive avoided the incessant hype that has built like a malevolent and impenetrable fugue around Daniel Lopatin. Oh sorry - Oneohtrix Point Never. Or as I have said on a number of times (and im sure it was drunkenly and unimaginatively too...) Oneohtrix Point Whatever...

But this is it. I have avoided the hype, because I havent listened to him. Nup. Not one second of his work has entered my ears. So its easy to write someone off when you live under a rock. And I was quite happy with that.

But half an hour ago I heard 'Returnal' from his latest LP of same name, as reworked by Lapotin and Antony Hegarty. Now Antony (usually with his Johnsons) has never grabbed me either, although I have never been naive enough to ignore this man's innate vocal delivery, let alone to admit it is anything other than transcendental. That said - his music just doesn't appeal to me. For whatever reason, I put him in the same box as Jeff Buckley - great voice, liked (woulda liked) him as a kid, but now its beyond the realm of my senses... But here, a massive reinterpretation on the original, 'Returnal' takes on a dark, plaintive tone due to the sparseness of composition - only Lapotin's piano strokes and Hegarty's silken voice. The result? Magic. It truly is an electrifying ballad, something I didn't expect to hear, let alone like, let alone love. So it isnt standard Oneohtrix Point Never - the electronic glitches are kept to a minimum, mainly to denote crackles of an old track playing on a slightly dusty piece of black vinyl - but it is transfixing in its majesty. Im serious - this is an amazing track. Its been a good day...

Oneohtrix Point Never (feat Antony Hegarty) - Returnal

5 comments:

  1. Hmm, it seems that I am alone in loathing this forgettable dirge of a track. (But that's ok - I'm often in this position.) Give me standard OPN over this, any day.

    Sorry to be so negative!

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  2. No that's ok Lou, its what this blog is all about! I have seriously tried to avoid OPN due to the unprecedented hype - also goes for Toro y Moi - still haven't heard him. AT ALL.

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  3. As for loathing a forgettable dirge of a track, that is a personal belief. I actually think its quite haunting.

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  4. Sorry chap I'm with Lou on this, I'm slowly getting into OPN but this track seems a bit pointless compared to the album, or maybe it's cos I'm don't like Antony Hegart's voice.

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  5. Oh I can recommend you keep steering clear of Toro y Mori not my bag.

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