Odonis Odonis – Spectrums (Album Review)
- Written by Johnno
I feel bad for Philip K. Dick, a science fiction author whose contemplations and postulations of future society were manifested in film too late after his death. Or even scarier, some of what he postulated is slowly becoming a reality. There's no point in being scared traipsing through our industrial revolution riddled hellscapes, but to be aware of it and embrace for the inevitable future. That means embracing technology to look forward. In that vein, I was fortunate enough to have an album sent my way that best reflects that. Toronto's Odonis Odonis latest LP release, Spectrums, is sure to evoke listener's imaginations of Blade Runner-esque landscapes with Harrison Ford's mug getting in the way. Though rooted and familiar with industrial and heavy electronica predecessors from decades past, this album is much less nostalgic, but carves a niche of its own for contemporary industrial. Within the lineage of Violator, Pretty Hate Machine, and The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste, Odonis Odonis' Spectrums can easily sit alongside at the dinner table beside Trent, David, and Al. The album title itself suggests multiples of variations which could not be more apt. Super distorted guitars and distorted vocals on the opener ‘Trust’ and the single, ‘A Body’, are still on the same beaten path as ‘More’, a track whose chorus is a beautifully, catchy earworm that will stick in your brain juices for days. One particular section that just about prompted me to pull my car over was the attention to the mix and mastering on the final track, ‘Salesman’. The pulses of the low end expand and contract, reaching out to your solar plexus, in rhythm, to draw you in and to heed their words. It felt like someone grabbing me by my collar, to give my head a shake at the inherent greed within capitalism and modus operandi to sell, sell, sell. And for that, I thank Dean Tzenos and Denholm Whale. Spectrums is a wonderfully crafted, engaging recorded effort with that would make a proud standout in any vinyl collector's library or Spotify listener's year end Top Five. Odonis Odonis is touring around Ontario and someone the northern US for the end of 2021, so check their socials. 9.5 / 10