Artistik Soul Productions 2015
Omega Point
A means to an end where the end means another transitional state to dance through.
One can assume that the title of this mini-album implies an escape with no return, and it is so as there’s no looping back for the Boston band who set their sights on a stellar destination. Not for nothing the duo’s previous record, "Introspekt", was peppered with progressive stardust and revealed a serious soul-searching behind its catchy grooves. “Omega Point” takes things further – alluding to a theory that the development of our universe will result in heightened consciousness – and concentrates on the kind of spirituality rarely associated with discotheque.
Of course, a thought of trance feels inevitable in such context, and “Dreamstate” offers a firm grip of the listener’s pulse, but a traditional stone-faced indifference doesn’t belong here, as delicately pealing chords of a solo suggest. Otherworldly it isn’t, though, with the seriousness of “Prey” compromised by a pure pop approach, while the cut’s lyrical simplicity comes counterbalanced with a rather intricate instrumental undercurrent and an infectious dialogue on the coda. Here’s a limbo impression to it all, where the temporal matters barely exist.
The unhurried beats of “Hypnotic” evoke the bleary-eyed pastime of European nightclubs circa 1985, yet whatever time warp crawls into the frame Matthew Cahoon’s mellifluous voice and synthetic bass chase the notion of clock-ticking away in favor of velvet eroticism, and when Camila Alves’ singing caresses the rhythm one’s psyche gets a glimpse of elysium, although the pieces remix offers a more light-hearted, if vocally refined, experience. Also in two versions, “Intoxicated” finds its higher ground in a percussive clang and oriental pattens which come to the surface during the spoken word sections. That’s an arresting way to embrace a new consciousness: there’s an adventure beyond the point of no return and, with this record on – available soon at the band’s website – no speed is needed to reach the escape velocity.
