Review: JD Garrahy
OG forever, forever, forever, forever, forever. HA! What a way to kick off an album. Electronica rich beats and a groove inducing under tune set the mood for what could quite possibly be one of the greatest releases of this year.
Ocean Grove has carved a path for themselves in the last few years to prove that you can take every bit of influence that contributes to your sound, and inadvertently create your own genre. THIS is Oddworld Music, and OG are exactly that when it comes to said genre, the OG’s of their own sound.
Now, how do I adequately describe this new genre? Its not impossible, but I feel you need to listen to this album and make your own summary of what Oddworld truly is. That’s the beauty of it, its open to interpretation. But, in saying that, I’m going to do my best to try summarising it.
10 tracks of genre creating greatness. OG FOREVER, as stated before is just a great little opener to this album, and when you follow it with a track like CELL DIVISION, well shit, we have a duo of tracks that sets the tone so perfectly for the rest of the album. It’s hard to tell how they can continue with such brilliance. But that’s where you’re left astounded. With each track, comes a different homage to the music that shaped such a prolific Aussie band.
FLY AWAY is up next and I’ve seen this track 3 times live so far and you know what, it’s the perfect opener to ay OG setlist, it gets the crowd moving, screaming, flailing and it ALWAYS sets the atmosphere for a night of epic proportions. Dale’s vocals on this track are incredible and his stage presence is felt on the album (you say that’s not possible, but I challenge you to argue this fact). STUNNER is a cruisy track that just makes you tap your feet to the beat, but when the riff work kicks in, that tap evolves into a full head thrashing good time. Twiggy certainly has laid down some insanely good bass lines on this track, well, on the whole album really. So, make sure you pay special attention to them.
RAINDROP mixes rock and electronica, it’s a match made in Heaven. It works so well, and Dales passionate lyrics really shine through on this one where you can feel the emotion he puts into them. NO OFFENCE DETECTED gives off some great hip-hop vibes and it’s a great centre piece to the album, preparing you for what is about to be laid before you.
MY DISASTER takes it back to their heavier influences and assists to drive the Oddworld sound further than before. I love this track and it’s definitely the standout of the album (well, at least for me and how I’ve followed this bands evolution through the years). Giving everything they have into this track just gives off the same feeling of 2016’s Black Label album. So damn good to hear this again from the lads.
LAST DANCE slows things down a bit and you truly get a good scope of Dale’s vocal range. Theres so much happening in this song and if you can immerse yourself in its brilliance, you won’t be left disappointed. Killer track lads, love this one. SOWHAT1999 brings it back to the heavier, yet groove inducing side of OG, THIS is the sound that defined them and it’s incredible to hear this band producing tracks of this magnitude all these years later, while still carving the Oddworld genre into stone.
OTP closes the album and as the only collab on the album, it leaves a heavy mark as a closing track. Basically, it takes every genre that influenced this band and blends it into one incredible track with help from New Babylon and Adult Art Club. This leaves you wanting more, yet strangely satisfied with what you just lived through. Perfect balanced, as everything should be.
If you’re a die-hard fan or simply a casual one of the OG boys, Oddworld is going to possibly be on your list of greatest albums of 2024. To everyone else, get on this and join the Oddworld Underground Movement, its captivating.
