As you get to know the tracks more, you will also get to know Heogen more—from the fully immersive arrangements, melodies that feel like kisses, and rhythms that will have you moving your mind and body.
Immersive arrangements, melodies that feel like kisses, and rhythms that will have you moving your mind and body
Let me start by saying I do not normally write reviews, so please be patient/kind. I was moved to write this review when listening to the new Heogen album on Touched Music. Do you know that feeling you get when you hear something you know is special? Well I got that when I first heard a preview of “Shall We Go There” when attending a Mixlr release party for one of Martin Boulton’s label releases. Martin is the Touched Music label boss—as well as a host of others including L50, Dyadik, Glawiio Music.
“Shall We Go There” grabs you and brings back those teenage feelings of love and freedom, with just enough melancholy to make it appealing to an old ex-goth like myself. The pulsing bassline, washing synths, and piano stabs all meld into more than the sum of their parts. Think Plaid going on a date with Ulrich Schnauss or Herrmann & Klein, with hints of older Warp, Rephlex, Neo Ouija and related ancestral lineage.
But it does not end there, this is no one hit wonder! It opens with “Doorisajar (See Within),” which is just the moody intro any epic album requires. Then after “Shall We Go There” we continue on this fantastic voyage of getting to know a new artist. Heogen sounds so familiar that it is comforting, with hints and essences from the past. That is not to suggest that it sounds plagiarized at all, and as we explore the album more we get exposed to new styles which Heogen pulls off with aplomb. IDM, broken beats, swirling electronics, and even electro-pop influences are revealed on Odd Radio Circle.
If, like me, you fall in love with this album, you will find with repeated listens as you get to know the tracks more, you will also get to know Heogen more—from the fully immersive arrangements, melodies that feel like kisses, and rhythms that will have you moving your mind and body.
“Everything Was Beautiful And Nothing Hurt,” another stand out track, partly for its more upbeat rhythm, and lightly broken beats. It still has all of the wonderful arrangement and melody you come to expect from Heogen.
The title tracks takes us to a newer place, with different flavors and influences coming to mind like of Solvent (Suction), B. Fleischmann (Morr Music), and Mikael Fyrek (Kahvi, Dyadik) all seem fair. “Nothing Ends” feels like the spirit of B. Fleischmann was visiting Heogen, but as the track develops, it just becomes more Heogen than anything else. Swelling deep bass, taking you back to that feeling of teenage summertime freedom, first loves, and new experiences.
If you buy one album this month, be sure this is it. I recommend enjoying it whilst we still have nice summer weather to drive around or walk in. Your ears and your soul with both thank you. Let’s not forget that as well as getting great new music you will be contributing to a great charitable cause too—Macmillan Cancer Support.
Odd Radio Circle is available on Touched Music. [Bandcamp]
