Interesting, Complex, Quirky

Chad Matheny, better known as Emperor X, has been recording and releasing music since 1998, and it shows on Oversleepers International. The new album is Emperor X’s eighth full-length release and, when listening to it, three words come to mind: interesting, complex and quirky.

The opening track, “Wasted on the Senate Floor,” embodies all of these adjectives in just a mere two minutes and 50 seconds. One of the most interesting elements of Oversleepers International are the lyrics and how particular the phrasing is. Match this with the upbeat and fast-paced music that backs it and one quirky album is born.

The complexity of the music is really showcased on the eighth track on the album, “God Save Coastal Dorset.” There are layers to it that make for a fairly unique sound overall. While listening to the track, it is easy to pick up the guitar work, which is backed by a beat that makes it almost impossible not to dance. And, to top it all off, there is a unique vocal line that has subtle traces of voices from the late 1990s.

Oversleepers International doesn’t fall short on creative song titles either. With track names like “Low Orbit Ion Cannon,” “Schopenhauer in Berlin” and “Warmth Perimeter,” it is easy to see how Matheny’s background in science might have informed his music career. It is also easy to fall victim to how catchy each one of the aforementioned songs is.

This album is so interesting in its own unique way that will really pull listeners in. Each track has its own way of holding your attention and that mainly comes back to the way the songs are structured. By the end of the album, the only thing the listener will question is, “How long is this final track?” The answer to that question is, slightly too long, with “5-Hour Energy, Poland, 2017” coming to an end after 11 minutes and 11 seconds.

Overall, Oversleepers International offers a fresh sound that accounts for the folk listeners out there as well as anyone looking for something a little bit more unique.