Oneida : Expensive Air
Prog and punk are generally believed to sit at opposite ends of the spectrum, with drugs being the only uniting factor between the two. Brooklyn’s Oneida, however, sit somewhere in the experimental wasteland between the two genres. Sixteen albums into their career, the riddle of what they do is no closer to being solved on their new album, Expensive Air, though they’ve retained their knack for droning out intense grooves. You might be inclined to see them as a jam band that’s not necessarily for hippies, but the tone of this album carries an often heavier attack. The world around them is a more aggressive bombardment of narratives, and it’s easy to hear this as a response to that. Whatever the case, they are taking you on another journey into an odd collection of layered sounds with rough edges.
The vocals do not come in until four minutes into opening track “Reason to Hide,” which hits with a lush, droning chaos. Improvisation is embedded in the band’s musical DNA, and their songs carry that energy while still being constructed with form and function. Not all songs here come across as experimental musing, though, and a great deal of this album is driven by more of a reckless punk energy. “Spill” carries the rough edge of ’90s post-hardcore, with their churning guitar sound creating an organic noise-rock vibe.
“Strange” flirts with the group’s punk rock tendencies, though it is heavier and layered with a broader range of sounds than punk bands employ. They do have an original sound, but they’re not devoid of all outside influence as Dinosaur Jr.-inspired guitars drive “Here it Comes.” However, the darker, more introspective title track draws off jazz moods. While the arrangements wander out into anarchy, the sounds of the guitars have an organic warmth to them, and capturing all the varied sounds coming at you has to be a mammoth task when sitting down to mix this album, but they pulled it off. All the rough edges fit into place in this puzzle of power chords sprinkled in varying degrees of dissonance.
The ringing sonic sprawl on “Salt” is still given room to groove as it trips out. Though the drugs do not truly kick in until the last song, “Gunboats,” in which minds expand past the boundaries of conventional songwriting as drone and noise converge into an immersive atmosphere. The band pull off this curious hybrid of psychedelic sounds that’s unique despite leaning in more of a punk direction, which in and of itself might appeal to an even larger segment of listeners. Oneida continue to take chances and push their sound forward even this deep into their career. Expensive Air is an absorbing album, one not just for casual listening but when in a certain state of mind.
Label: Joyful Noise
Year: 2024
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Oneida : Expensive Air
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