It's shocking to me that you can blend Shoegaze with DnB, two iconically 90s genres, and come up with a result that sounds fresh. It's the kind of genre blend that feels so totally natural but somehow almost completely overlooked. This is the offering on The World My Oyster. If this sounds appealing at all, you should definitely go check it out. Right now. You can skip the rest of the review. It's good.
Track one, Upper 70s in Bemidji, opens with that dreamy shoegaze fuzz, before eventually a nice and light DnB percussion loop blends in. The percussion itself is thoughtfully varied, a trait present throughout the album. The result feels optimistic, like soaring above the clouds in a vintage propeller aircraft.
Track two, Nice to Meet You I'm an Artist, chops the drums up more hypnotically. The drums are paired with similarly chopped and equally hypnotic vocal samples. It's crunchy and wobbles. I'm really sold on the whole aesthetic at this point as it dawns on me that I'm really in for something quite special.
The thoughtful drum loop variation I mentioned previously makes a more prominent appearance on track three, Let's Take a Walk Through My Bug Garden Just You and Me. The fast drum breaks develop a notable meta-rhythm through their alternation. It's a cool effect.
The second half of the album moves more into downtempo territory. Dreamy haze and crunchy textures take more of the focus. I appreciate the water, rain, and thunder recordings integrated into track seven, Mogging by the Stream (Dubwise).
The album closes with track eight, Oyster Returns To Ocean ASMR. We see the techno influence most prominently here. We have what sounds like TV or radio audio sampled as a background detail and I appreciate that the artist resisted the temptation to bring the vocal sample directly to the forefront. The effect of having these vocals partially dissolved into the background is quite compelling. There's a waft of Boards of Canada in the air.
The fifth track has perhaps my single favorite track title on any album: Evidence of Frog Communication with Whales Via Binaural Beats. Perfection.
I've already grabbed a copy for my personal collection and fully anticipate listening to this regularly. If I have one complaint, it's that I want more of it.