The saxophone, as James Blake lately put it to Lil Yachty of their current Advanced interview, is the one instrument whose whole contributions he’d “delete” from musical historical past. His reasoning? “The saxophone is just like the man on the get together who’s accomplished an excessive amount of coke, and he’s telling you about his new enterprise concept.”
Contemplate south London duo O.’s debut album ‘WeirdOs’. Joe Henwood’s saxophone, put by all kinds of impact pedals, sounds just like the man who’s accomplished an excessive amount of of all the medication. If something, Henwood and Tash Keary (drums) may need accelerated the demise of the saxophone if Blake had it his method – however oh, how thrilling they’ve made it sound.
What makes O.’s saxophone so charming is their use of saxophonics, which augments the instrument’s sound with quite a few results pedals. Pioneered by jazz musicians Eddie Harris and Sonny Stitt within the Sixties, O. layer pedal after pedal till the saxophone morphs right into a hulking, growling beast, like a crunching guitar on steroids.
However none of O.’s predecessors come near the guttural, visceral sounds uttered by the NME 100 alumni. There’s ‘Cosmo’ and its foreboding bass that wobbles and flutters menacingly, while the dubby wails that echo in ‘Whammy’ sounds just like the saxophone such as you’ve by no means heard it earlier than. However O. additionally talk a shocking playfulness with its funk-rock impressed rhythms; the indeniable groove of ‘Wheezy’ smacks of legends like Rage In opposition to The Machine.
This album would even be nothing with out the spectacular drumming of Keary, who wrangles the mighty hydra that’s Henwood’s saxophone and punctuates it with sharp, snappy beats. ‘176’ switches between an intensely swung rhythm, melting right into a looser, extra natural midsection, while ‘Mirco’ sees Keary easily transition right into a typical drum and bass breakbeat.
It’s all, admittedly, extremely confronting. There’s little room to breathe and you’ll virtually be crushed into submission by Keary’s snare by the point you attain nearer ‘Slap Juice’. However this can be a assured, assured debut from O., two instrumentalists on the top of their craft – with an actual sense of humour besides.
Particulars
- Launch date: June 21
- Document label: Speedy Wunderground
