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Artist: Oblio
URL: www.obliomusic.com www.myspace.com/oblio
Label: Indie
Time: 7 tracks / 28:42
Once upon a time there was a little band called Oblio. Oblio was different from so many of the other bands in Big Music Land that no one knew what to do with them. But Oblio got the point – just make good music.
Just like this band’s namesake from the animated fantasy/morality tale, “The Point,” Oblio, the band, doesn’t quite fit the mold of today’s music scene, and that’s a good thing. Listening to the band’s current release, Create The Night Pt. 1, gives the listener a refreshing break from the parade of sound-alike bands that churn out CDs cookie-cutter style.
Create The Night Pt. 1 starts with the oddly-syncopated, accordion-driven (yes – accordion-driven!), “End of the Night” – an interesting, oblique song with esoteric, but fascinating lyrics delivered in a breathy vocal style sounding somewhat like Sufjan Stevens, but a little less laid-back. Similarities to Sufjan don’t end in the vocal department, but are also reflected in Oblio’s unusual mix of acoustic instruments (occasional use of trumpet riffs and the afore-mentioned accordion), offbeat melodies and unique song-structures. This is a band that sounds like four people picking up instruments and creating songs – a human sound, imbued with intelligence, creativity and a sense of wonder.
The songs on this project bring surprises at many turns, like the trumpet work at the tempo-change in “She Devil,” or the way the guitar has two ‘screaming’ moments in the otherwise quiet “Times Square,” which also boasts a good ‘live-band’ sound, and nice acoustic and electric piano work.
Although some of the tracks start out simply enough, it soon becomes apparent that these guys know their way around some pretty sophisticated chord changes. The seven songs on this disc offer a nice sampling of what this band can do, from the more conventional “Never That Cold,” to the very psychedelic, Beatle-esque “Marlborough Blues,” with its pauses, re-starts, structural morphing, and throbbing “Blue Jay Way” influenced hypnotic feeling.
Oblio is a welcome diversion from the standard fare coming from Nashville, New York and LA these days. The production on this CD could use some cleaning up, but not so much as to lose the vulnerability of the band’s sound. This band is creating music for people who don’t mind investing a little thought into their listening experience – who knows what it might do to the shape of your head?
By Bert Saraco ( www.myspace.com/expressimage
http://expressimagephoto.tripod.com )
…Add half a tock if you’ve seen “The Point.”