The Chinese band OU is a representative of the Beijing music scene. II Frailty was produced and mixed by Devin Townsend. The music goes in all directions, from very heavy prog metal to extremely dreamy melodies. From hard electronics to ambient. To be honest, it is a confusing mishmash of styles, with the positive element being the vocals of singer Lynn Wu. Townsend has turned up the reverb considerably in the production. The guitar and bass work is fine, but the drummer suffers a bit from what I call the Mike Portnoy syndrome, the tendency to fill up every space. Highlights are the song Ocean and the two quieter songs Reborn and Redemption. Technically it's all right, but stylistically it's a mess so I don't understand what Devin Townsend's efforts were as a producer. Anyway, there is proggy-ish music coming from China these days. That's a win. The musicians really can play, but now they have to learn how to write. But that singer should stay, she is fantastic. *** Arne van Os van den Abeelen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
