Conflexicated by Obselion
conflexicated | ˈkɒnflexɪkatɪd |
adjective
1 complex; complicated; confused: a conflexicated state of being due to a romantic parting of the ways.
2 distraught; perplexed; tortuous: a phase where I was really conflexicated by a girl I loved.
noun
3 music album - recorded, & produced by Obselion (Mohammed Sawan): I am enamored by the beautiful new Obselion album, Conflexicated.
If conflexicated was in the dictionary, this is how it may appear - at least according to the talented and creative indie artist known as Obselion.
With ominous bells chiming and a dulcimer patch rolling out the title track (featuring Sacha Kilgour), this album takes the listener on a journey, as Obselion crosses frequently crosses genres. The opener mixes elements of opera with electronica, as this lovely soprano’s haunting melody floats above a somber piano and electronic percussion, then heads into dubstep land with a brooding synth bass line and looped lyric, “get your sh*t together."
Raindrops touches on the downtempo genre, and is vaguely reminiscent of downtemp kings Cinematic Orchestra, fusing a cello baseline with hop hop beats, textured guitars, and a whole lot of room for the instruments to breathe with a decidedly minimalist composition.
If there’s a single track that is radio-friendly, it would have to be Be Kind (featuring Gayathri), which gives a tip of the hat to The XX with reverb-drenched guitars and delicate female vocals. This is a track that could be remixed endlessly and strong enough to be released solely as an instrumental, and should certainly find its way into a film soundtrack.
Entering the realm of ambient music, Sleep opens with lush pads and once again employs those wonderfully reverb-drenched guitars along with glitchy programmed beats. This is a beautifully landscaped track that can be listened to over and over, full of sentiment and charm. More ambient work in the future, Obselion!
Minimal piano opens The Bottle of Memories, once again suggesting ambient instrumentalism, slightly evolving into a baroque piece with violin and dark pads…genre-jumping seems to be inevitable but intriguing.
Ever heard an ambient cover version of a Coldplay track? If not, slide guitars and kick drum echoes introduce the cover tune Green Eyes, whilst male vocals featuring Mohamad Hassaballa are subdued by an ambient wash that feels like sunlight breaking through clouds. A sparse yet lush guitar solo marks the midpoint of this track, which is nearly seven minutes in total length. Green Eyes is equally appropriate for post clubbing or early morning rising.
Obselion definitely has a penchant for darker, grittier tracks, and Our Premonition featuring Sacha Kilgour seems to subconsciously pay homage to Massive Attack’s Angel off the 1998 cult classic Mezzanine. Unexpectedly, the female-driven melody takes a welcomed turn into Broodsville, officially certifying Our Premonition as trip hop.
Lightening up the album is the cover track Pompeii, written by indie electronica darlings Bastille, arguably runner-up for a radio-friendly audience. Strong yet delicate female vocals by Kimberly Glaspie make this cover tune easy on the ears and proves to be more digestible if the darker tracks are not up one's alley.
Reminiscent of post rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor is the intro to A Black Hole in the Velvet Skies. Glitchy cut-time drum loops and chiming guitars create the backbone of this track that breaks down into a melodic bridge. Following a one-beat rest, Obselion ups the ante by adding more guitars and brings it all to a close with a sparsely muted dulcimer patch and ambient pads. Nice.
Good Morning Love is yet another beautiful ambient work that easily could make its way into a film soundtrack. Lush, calm, endearing. At only 2:32 in length, an extended version would certainly be welcomed. Remix album? Yes please!
Conflexicated is a very mature offering for a sophomore release, and shows that Obselion is certainly capable of creating beautifully crafted music. Watch this up and coming artist as he pushes the boundaries in the future. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
- Christopher Fehr (www.christopherfehr.com)
Tracklist
Credits
Written, recorded & produced by Obselion (Mohammed Sawan).
Mixed & Mastered by Reiner Erlings.
Artwork & Photography : Mohammed Sawan.
Art Direction and Design : Franz Viaje
© 2015 OBSELION
