Saturday, October 30, 2010

Currently Listening: Nick Baran - "Superficial"

Oblisk has nothing to do with KISS, ... ...not sound-wise, apperance-wise or partying-eva-ry-day-wise.

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The former is a Detroit-based quartet that blends in atmospheric psychedelia to propulsive, groove-heavy shoegaze rock. Sort of like (the latter,) KISS, they have a quiet, unassuming, virtuoso-type lead guitarist who doesn't sing much with Oblisk, if at all... But that's where sort-of's cease.

But, my silly self can't help but picture some Ace Frehley trip when I heard that said-Oblisk guitarist, Mr. Nick Baran, had been working on a solo record over the summer. Now it's done.

And, just like, as I understand it, KISS fans were pleasantly surprised when Frehley did the same solo thing in 1978 (alongside the less impressive three other respective efforts of KISS members), I was equally taken aback by the freshness and the beauty of Baran's compositions. The space, the delicacy, the clattery synth-n-drum shambles...

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Heretofore Oblisk records and performances had the tall, lean guitarist slipping into Greenwood-esque trances as he tore into the instrument, blurring but percise, with blazing guitar solos that would swirl out with head-swimming tone modulation and growl with the stomp-released fire from a platter of peddles.

And yet, on Superficial - (a self-release you can check out here) he ends up going deeper into the trip-hop and ambient pop; darker, ethereal realms that mash together cymbal shears, clattering sequenced beats and a bending/swaying resonant bass groove. Sensibilities akin to the cloud-surfing chill-out nocturnes of Massive Attack get mashed up with scuffed, clangy noise-pop stir ups ala Jesus & Mary Chain. But what really throws me for a loop are the wafting, soft-brushed rainy day gleams like "Sleepwalker." The guitarist gets to heavily flex his penchant for the fuzzy magic of the synthesizer and showcase his own disarmingly pretty baritone croon.

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