Music!!! Here at Evolution, we LOVE music. Being a radio student is so fun because we get to listen to only the best tunes all day. 2023 has definitely been a compelling year for music releases…lots of good, but also lots of bad. I am certifiably insane and I like to listen to as much new music as I can, even if it’s something from a genre that I don’t necessarily listen to all that often. Expanding horizons, broadening perspectives, etc… In the last little while, several notable drops have dropped, and we shall be taking a look at three of them within the confines of this article.

Starting off strong with Oneohtrix Point Never’s new album Again. Daniel Lopatin, who will henceforth be referred to as OPN (a whole lot easier than having to type out Oneohtrix Point Never every other sentence), is an American experimental electronic producer and composer. He’s got a pretty extensive discography, and he did the music for Uncut Gems (2019), which is pretty cool. His production work is pretty solid, too–he produced indie girly Soccer Mommy’s 2022 album Sometimes, Forever as well as The Weeknd’s 2021 album Dawn FM. 

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Again honestly blew me away. I’ve only heard two of his other albums–Replica from 2011 and R Plus Seven from 2013, which are probably his most popular releases. I really enjoyed both of them, and Again proved to be no different. I hesitate to call music “boundary-pushing” because I feel like that doesn’t really mean anything, but in this instance it seems appropriate. This album isn’t just progressive electronic music–it builds upon itself in a way that makes the whole thing feel like a cohesive listen, albeit a very layered and somewhat dense one. There’s definitely a lot going on here in terms of style, but he makes it work, and it’s effective. I will say that this record feels like it has more emotion than your standard lyricless electronic stuff. It didn’t just feel like a bunch of beeps and boops, you know? The classical elements were fantastic as well and added a lot of depth and texture to certain tracks, particularly on “Locrian Midwest”, “Gray Subviolet”, and “The Body Trail” (the last one being my favourite track on the album).  Each track felt like its own unique collage of sounds, and yet they all make sense together as one album. I will say, this might not be the most accessible and/or digestible album if you haven’t listened to that much electronic music before–there’s a lot going on here–but that doesn’t make it any less immersive, in my opinion. Give it a listen if you’re looking for something that’ll take you out of whatever you’re doing and drop you into some cool new soundscapes.

Next up we’ve got San Jose’s slowcore sweethearts Duster with their “newest album” Remote Echoes (it’s in quotes for a reason, you’ll see). Duster is an American indie rock, lo-fi band that’s been around since the late 90s. A lot of their stuff isn’t available on streaming, which means that I have most of their discography downloaded on my computer, sourced from totally legal means and definitely not pirated at all. Thankfully, though, they’ve slowly been making their stuff more accessible, and Remote Echoes is a part of that effort. Kind of a side note here but they were supposed to play in Vancouver at the end of October, but the show got CANCELLED. None of the other shows on their tour got cancelled, just ours. Quite disappointing!

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Anyway, the reason that I put “newest album” in quotes is because the material…isn’t new. It’s a compilation of old demos, basically, so I hesitate to call it a full-fledged record, but hey, for the purposes of this article, that’s what I’ll be doing. Overall, Remote Echoes is pretty solid. Duster is one of those bands that never really differs in sound, which is why they’re one of my favourites–they’re nothing if not consistent. This record is their usual stuff; downtempo, rough recordings, melancholic lyrics, and it all works well. All of the tracks are pretty short, with “Untitled 84” being the only one that actually clears 3 minutes. While I do wish that some of the songs were a bit longer and more fleshed out, for a collection of old demos, I can’t really complain much. Duster makes great music to have on if you’re just chilling. Relaxing. Vibing. I enjoy listening to them at night a lot, and I’d say that Remote Echoes makes for a great nighttime album. My favourite track is “Moon in Aries” because it feels like one of the more polished songs (as polished as you can get with Duster) compared to the others. This album is a bit tough to really give a definitive review to but just know that it’s good for what it is. If you’re in the mood for some stripped-back easy listening lo-fi indie rock, then Remote Echoes is the record to put on.

Alright, last–and certainly LEAST–is Animal Collective’s new album Isn’t It Now?. Before we get into the review itself, I have to get a bit personal (what else is new?). Animal Collective is one of my favourite bands Of All Time. One of the best presents I’ve ever received was a Strawberry Jam record that was signed by all four of the members and even has a little “to Sophie” dedication to me written on it. I have also taken a photo with a member of the band at one of his solo shows. I would say I’m a pretty big fan! Their music is special to me and I’ve liked basically all of their releases thus far…until this one. I was already a bit on the fence about their last album from 2022 Time Skiffs, and this one feels like Time Skiffs if it actually just sucked. Alright, I’m being a bit harsh, but that sentiment will be the basis of this review. Animal Collective started out with a psych pop, freak folk sound, but their last two albums have taken a turn towards jam band territory. Nothing wrong with jam bands, but I just can’t get into listening to 10 minutes of guitar noodling nonsense that’s meant to be enjoyed alongside a joint. “Gem & I” was basically the only song that I actually enjoyed, the rest were pretty unforgettable. Their production is still good, vocals are still good–they’re still talented musicians, but the sound has changed so much that I can’t say anything that is positive beyond that. I’m chalking the jam band shift up to the members being old now and smoking a ton of weed. Also, I have to mention that one of the tracks on the album, “Defeat”, is 21 minutes and 58 seconds long. It’s not a bad song at all, and I really don’t want to be accused of having a short attention span here, but man. That track alone makes up for a third of the album’s entire runtime. Food for thought. I will note, however, that the album is receiving a lot of praise on the internet, so maybe I am just being too much of a hater here. I’ll let you be the judge, though; give it a listen and decide for yourself whether Isn’t It Now? rocks or flops.

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This has been “Three Little Album Reviews” with yours truly, Sophie Tomei. Definitely check out these albums for yourself if you get the chance. I often find myself falling into the bad habit of reading other people’s reviews of music and movies and letting them colour my own opinion, but I’m here to tell you to NOT do that!! Get your headphones on and listen to the albums yourself!!!