Fusing east and west in alternative electro quirkiness, Optivion first came to our ears’ attention back in 2015 with Free Unicorn. Drawing influences from, well, all over the place, Alex (lead vocalist, percussion, harmonica, guitar) and Rie (backing vocalist) have combined their talent once more with the release of Light Spindle. At they explain:
The album is about the process of creativity: a spindle consisting of linear vivid components and new melodies connected to light, scifi, family, vikings, stars, death, samurais, new puppy, childhood memories. A bunch of colorful sketches dripping with old paint, visual interpretations and melodic sound-waves.
Before you read on, Optivion is giving a FREE download of “Free Unicorn”, the signature single from their earlier album, to Angry Baby readers. If you’re not already subscribed to Angry Baby, just pop the email address that you’d like it delivered to here and it will be on its way to you straight away, together with a bumper collection of music that has been shared by Angry Baby. The music comes from outstanding artists that you may not have heard before. With a mix of rock, pop, folk…you name it…there’s bound to be something new that floats your musical boat, and all for free! What’s not to like about that?!
Bringing together sixteen tracks, Light Spindle is a moodscape of music. There’s an undercurrent of jazz from the get-go in “Alpha Armor”, disco vibes in “Shadow Tiger”, “Sweet Flashy Monster Amor” and “Gargoyle Love”, while “Bridge Engineer”, “Champion Wearing Black” and “Kawaii Cosplay Kasutera Dance” offer soul-funk with a touch of psychedelia.
Fancy some Optivion-ised pop? Try “Tropical Ghost” and “She Was A Robot”, or if rock is your thing, but you want it mixed up with percussive electro, there’s “Gothic Galactic Plane” and “Two Dancers”. Pure psychedelia turns up in “Viking Spaceship” and “Terrestrial Sphere”, while keeping the psychedelia, but infusing it with blues, is “Odin’s Friends”. Adding a touch of Latin and a shade or two of hip-hop brings us to “Shigeyuki”, while the album finishes on an experimental electro-folk note with “Schwager’s Song”.
Whilst a romp through genre comparisons goes some way towards defining Optivion’s music, in reality it’s more complex, creative and distinctive. Occasionally, artists redefine music and recreate soundworks. That’s what Optivion does. Their work is uniquely indefinable.
Optivion’s advice for anyone who is just starting out with music celebrates creativity:
‘Have fun making and playing original music! It’s like painting your own portrait.’
In their own words, they Ninja-liciously released Light Spindle and are working on a small tour in Japan later this year. Get your copy here and follow Optivion at:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
And get your free download of music from Angry Baby now, including Optivion’s “Free Unicorn” – just pop your email down below
Really love this. Very hard to pigeonhole as it is extremely innovative and cutting edge. Excellent.