OOBE - Amarcord

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  • Yari Malaspina basks in sounds that most people would consider cheesy. His earliest work took the overdriven melodies of trance and made them abstract. They've been a hallmark of his work since. Amarcord, his first record of 2017, seems like business as usual on the opener, "Virtual-E." It begins with a slow, teary-eyed synth motif, after which a wailing electric guitar slices through like a laser cutter. The track burns out in a flash that might make you think, "What the fuck just happened?" Electric guitar is Amarcord's most memorable aspect. The mournful licks of "Virtual-K," or the searing solo on "Amarcord," might seem odd, but they complement Malaspina's sentimental melodies and cut through the lo-fi electronics. "Unknown Journey" borrows '80s synth riffs from the M83 playbook, slowly building until the guitar finishes it off at the end. It's a satisfying touch even if it's not the ingredient you would expect. "Crush Mind" and "Highway Paradise" ditch the guitar for vocal snippets and suffer for it. The samples aren't particularly catchy and the drums are sluggish and swampy, weighing down the EP. The oddest track on Amarcord is "1989 Summer," a world-weary edit of Olive's forgotten '90s electronica hit, "Outlaw," that pitches the vocal way down over a poignant bassline. It caps off a peculiar EP that hovers at the border of good taste, with a couple bum tracks offset by moments that might make you smile—or play air guitar.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Virtual-E A2 Unknown Journey A3 1989 Summer A4 Virtual-K B1 Crush Mind B2 Highway Paradise B3 Amarcord
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