Odawas: The Raven and the White Night

By: Alibastard | in: Music |

This supremely powerful musical experience begins with dark lounge textures ripped from the meandering night visions of Angelo Badalmenti, set to echoing samples of public speakers, quickly segues into an epic Synth intro orchestrated strangely close to “So Spake Zarasthra” cut with something not far from the score to The Never-ending Story (but not ironic) and then ends, making you realize, impossible though it seems, that you’ve only just heard the first track. What follows is a pastiche of mesmerizing journeys through boomy, psychedelic folk not far from Zeppelin’s “Battle of Evermore” (only scarier) , liquid smooth tremolo ballads that’re Chris Isaak doing Radiohead drunk on ether, rejuvenated only by Hammed organs, traveling whistles and echoing drums, recorded like they were hit in a cathedral a hundred feet away and back in Time.

odawas

A few times Odawas return to that “Bush of Ghosts” kind of re-appropriation of broadcast recordings that they start with, only set the fragmented pieces to deeply moving electronic melodies more likened to the soundtrack of “Traffic” than David Byrne and Brian Eno’s afro-future funk (especially “Love Is…(The Only Weapon With Which I Got To Fight”).
When this isn’t happening “Raven and the White Night” finds Mike Tapscott and Isaac Edwards offsetting haunting Marc Bolan-esque vocals with the occasional rock out, atmospheric tangents that you forget are tangents and harmonica cries from desert locales you imagine show up in David Lynch’s spiritual daydreams of far off lands, long dead and yet to be discovered.
More than anything, this record has a resonance that leaves you neither weighed down, nor jumping in place. Odawas transports you into sonic landscapes still brilliant enough to feel organic – without that avant-garde put-on. Listening makes you feel half insane, but not overwhelmed – overcome by some cosmic experience, yet brought back to earth by the occasionally un-molested guitar strum, reminding you of the peace of Reality.
It may take some time for you to return fully to Earth.

“Raven And The White Night” is out on March 6th

Odawas - Alleluia

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Posted on February 17, 2007