- There are times when "versatility" is a smoke screen for "dilettantism." And then there's Dean Meredith, whose ability to genre-hop has always been matched by a strong sense of quality control. Not only was he one of the founders of Chicken Lips and thus a cosmic-disco godfather, but he was also one-half of Bizarre Inc., responsible for the pop-house chart-topper "I'm Gonna Get You." Meredith's debut LP under the newly-assumed Rhythm Odyssey moniker proudly carries his chameleon carrier a step forward while repeating this history of style-shifting. The record crams in so many different kinds of dance music it's a bit like an Amazonian microcosm, teeming with life—and one would need the wisdom of a veteran like Meredith to move with great confidence through such a jungle.
Metaphysical Transition follows a smooth energy-level arc from the spare, Moroder-esque "Shower Room" all the way to the delirious party-time grooves of "Disconfunction," sailing in the meantime through acid, vocal and instrumental disco, electro funk, house, you name it. Composition and production are the guiding threads. Pretty much everything's mixed for the floor here, with grooves given ample breathing room. And analog is the order of the day. Like Chicken Lips' finest moments, the tunes here have enough vintage synth fuzz on them that they seem to bristle with electrical energy.
The album's middle boasts gristly acidic-analog workouts like "Musiquebox," whose thuggish beat places it nicely alongside Black Meteoric Star and Chris Carter. The deep Chicago pulse of "Amsterdam Boots" gets cross-wired with the sort of delayed hats and claps you expect from the Lips' trademark brand of dubbed-out disco jams. "Desire 2" has a dank-basement rawness to it. But then without warning all this analog house business gives way to the disco chintz of "Disconfunction" and "Right On Up"—both of which are executed as smartly as their predecessors, boasting chicken-scratch guitar swagger and bold vocals. Somehow Meredith's gone and captured a whole array of vintage vibes in one package—it's a mini-history lesson, taught by someone who saw it firsthand—a rhythm odyssey indeed.
Tracklist 01. Intro
02. Shower Show
03. Get To The Sauce
04. Tighten Up
05. Amsterdam Boots
06. Musiquebox
07. Desire Pt 2
08. Move Groove (Album Edit)
09. Right On Up (For Love)
10. Disconfunction