https://xperrymental.bandcamp.com/album/oddio-xperryments-1
Genre: Neo-Early Electronic Music
Rating: 4/5
released on bandcamp July 12, 2021
I’m not sure how many of them X Perry Mental is aware of but there are influences galore stamped all over this record. The least flattering, in my opinion, is The Residents, an overrated band that tries too hard. However, my criticisms stop there. And that criticism might not even be valid. It could also be seen as retro and campy in a fun way and perhaps I need to take the stick out of my ass… or dig it in deeper ❤️
The great Joe Meek comes to mind: https://youtu.be/r3GvU08qefk , so does Bernard Herrmann’s classic film score for The Day the Earth Stood Still. Listen to Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music for a large collection of related geniuses.
X Perry Mental, like the best of those that came before him, isn’t just leaning into a willingness to be campy or weird; the truth is there are great compositions here in a melodic tonal sense. The playful interactions between instrumentations on Walking Backwards brings to mind Modest Mussorgsky. In other places, the keyboard constructions show hints of Bach’s Fugues.
Ultimately, what we have here is a very talented composer with a quirky personality who’s obviously going to do whatever he wants. Good for him.
Warmth Highest 