Oneida - Secret Wars
(Jagjaguwar)
Oneida puts on an astounding performance live. Kid Millions attacks the drum kit like a grizzly bear wrestling a hunter whose safety orange suit is made of freshly minced meats. Fat Bobby’s glasses slide off of his face while he slaps the black and white keys with the force of a cranked-up street pimp demanding overdue repayment. Hanoi Jane, the only man standing in the Oneida concert trifecta, holds down bass/guitar duties with the swagger and certainty of a ten-ton anchor, dropping through the floor with a chain thick enough to choke a tree. When all three are firing at once, the result is mesmerizing, pummeling, and absolutely compelling. But how could this sensational maelstrom be duplicated in a controlled environment? Somehow, the trio has pulled off just such a coup with Secret Wars, the new follow-up to their double-length masterpiece Each One Teach One, which proves to be a consistently engaging and thoroughly impressive listen from beginning to end.
Opening with the moderately paced organ swell of “Treasure Plane” proves to be a tactical move more than anything else, as nearly any other cut on the album could have been much too overwhelming for the unprepared. Guitar notes accentuate the vocals over a keyboard vamp before unwinding near the end, gaining momentum in a possible attempt to ready the listener for blast-off into serious Oneida-grind territory. “Caesar’s Column” provides the expected punch as Kid’s drums set up the tempo before a volley ensues between the bass and keyboards, including a little plink of a flourish that seems to echo on in the back of the mind. The song shifts gears several times, the bass grinding up and down the frets while the drums kick into a higher intensity. Occasional Oneida gong contributor Kayrock makes an inspiring appearance, bringing an otherworldly feel to a noisy thrashing section that gives way to another movement altogether, heavy on percussive elements and spacey effects before launching back into the main theme again. The driving tempo continues with “Capt. Bo Dignifies the Allegations with a Response,” easily the best song title in recent memory. Bobby’s keyboards push Kid to hit faster and harder as Jane ties up the loose low ends with agile rumblings. “Wild Horses” is an Oneida original that reins in the frantic pace long enough to drop a guitar rock tribute in place of the usual keyboard anthems. The melody line is repeated over the verses and provided with room to stretch out near the end. The frenetic ecstatic workout continues with “$50 Tea,” replete with psych guitar skronks, ferocious drumming, and a distinct vocal effort that dives off the deep end under a wave of delay and increasingly chaotic repetition. Just as the cycling commotion becomes nearly disorienting, a brief vamp slaps some sense back into the mix, so mechanically tight it sounds like a dozen cyborgs doing the robot in synchronicity. “The Last Act, Every Time” is a marvelous departure for Oneida, presenting an ethnic flair that is striking and mystifying, with guitar notes slathered in reverb until dripping as the vocals duet at octaves. The band chooses a different form of trance-induction on “The Winter Shaker,” as the guitar shimmers with a single repeated chord while subtle changes are introduced just below the surface, barely subverting the drifting soundscape as it slowly plods on. The piece is nearly meditative as the trebly tones ring and clang with little interruption before the vocals enter later. The fourteen-minute epic “Changes in the City” ends the album, once again concentrating on building guitars and climaxing drums during a controlled progression. Jane’s bass ambles and rambles, Kid locks into a steady downpour of sticks on heads, and Bobby mangles the keys with a delicate, deliberate destruction. Near the ten-minute mark, the mayhem is brought under control and slowly directed toward a gradual decrescendo, bringing to a close another magnificent magnum opus from the Oneida wrecking crew.
This album really is a fantastic representation of what Oneida can do in person. If not inspired to outright pogo, the constant barrage of rock both moderate and superfast will bring every toe to tapping and every head to bobbing. With several other projects rumored to be in the works, the ensemble is hitting a confident stride at a time when their contemporaries are searching for new sources to pillage and unknown styles to plunder. Meanwhile, Oneida seeks to both invent and dismantle fresh ideas in music, enabling them to surpass the rest of the pack with their sheer momentum and unmistakable talent.
|
