Album Review: O+S - O+S

Originally published April 22, 2009 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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O+S
O+S
Saddle Creek

The self-titled debut album from O+S requires patience. It is not a quick and easy listen. The emotions are too thick for digesting in a hasty manner. The music is not ultra somber or serious, but listeners should prepare to spend time with the album while it grows and expands.

O+S is composed of longtime friends Orenda Fink (Azure Ray and Art in Manila) and Scalpelist (aka Cedric LeMoyne of Remy Zero), who both grew up in Birmingham, Ala. The project started with Fink’s musical artist residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Neb. For the project, she traveled from Omaha to Alabama to Haiti, collecting field recordings with the hope of sewing them into loops. LeMoyne joined to help with instrumentation and electronic landscapes.

While the end result does not utilize the Haitian culture in a revolutionary way, it is nonetheless a beautiful collection of soft, sleepy melodies. The calm rhythms and heavy bass are perfect for solitary late nights of reflection. Fink’s voice is chilling and refreshing. The music is lovely in a very simple, antique way, but it has its wear and tear.

“New Life” and “Survive Love” move at such slow pace that it is almost frustrating. They sound similar to Azure Ray songs but lack the dynamics that made the latter so charming. There are soft, little details in the background of each song, but one would be hard-pressed to pinpoint the origin.

Haitian vocal rituals are awkwardly placed at the beginning of “Toreador” and “We Do What We Want To”. Without knowing the story behind the field recordings, they sound out of place. They are not used in an interesting way and do not mesh well with the fuzzy beats and Fink’s whispering vocals.

However, the field recordings are not noticeable on most other songs, and the album’s highlights are the songs rooted in simplicity. “The Fox” has a sweet, humble sound, only utilizing guitar and vocals. Delicate humming and harmonies surround a story about love gone astray. “Permanent Scar” has more layers, but is a stunning track with great movement, staggering guitar and bits of sharp electronic sounds.

The O+S debut is a long road with a few bumps, but rich factors indicate that the uncertainties will clear with time.