Album Review

Olde Worlde – The Blue Musk-Oxen

• 8th Sep 2014

Let’s set out our stall immediately here – this record is a diamond in the rough. On The Blue Musk-Oxen, Olde Worlde have succeeded in creating an album of such individuality, with such depth and scope, that we’re left scratching our heads as to how they aren’t a household name yet.

As with all the best artists, the rarity of the uniqueness inherent on the album pulls this record to the forefront of the pack of new releases we’ve trawled through lately and echoes of Burt Bacharach meet Owl City, The Shins and Moldy Peaches in a glorious, if not always harmonious, celebration of lo-fi songwriting of the highest quality.

That the entirety of the instrumentation on the record comes courtesy of Tokyo maestro Sohhei Numata comes as something of a surprise – the cohesiveness and dynamism of the recording hints at a full band with many years of experience, but Numata’s mastery of the full ensemble plus the production skills of Brad Wood (The Smashing Pumpkins, Ben Lee, Sunny Day Real Estate, Tortoise) has resulted in an album that celebrates the small in a big way. That he learnt all of his English by listening to American Forces Radio just adds to the romanticism; magic is a rare thing in music these days but there’s a fairy tale feel to this record and a sense of boundless optimism in its power pop that makes it irresistible.

By way of avoiding the pitfalls of monotony that solo projects can often succumb to, the highlight of the release comes in the form of the electronica shuffle of ‘Thinking About You’ – a welcome surprise amidst the mostly acoustic offerings, pierced by a beautiful falsetto melody that accompanies this rolling masterpiece to completion.

Less is more has always been a good mantra and in Olde Worlde’s case it’s what has made the difference between The Blue Musk-Oxen being a good and a great album. Believe us, this is a great album.

– Jamie Otsa

Venue: The Blue Musk-Oxen
Support Band: Groundhog Records