Fresh take on old tech
In describing the Opitgan—Mattel’s electronic chord organ from the early 1970s—the word “esoteric” doesn’t quite cut it. A short-lived campaign, the “Optical Organ” (portmanteau Optigan), represented the toy manufacturer’s attempt to cash in on the home entertainment industry. The machine works by isolating and then playing back individual backing tracks, inserted via an LP-sized special program disc. Users can play along on a three-octave keyboard and even shift keys around the circle of fifths. Original program discs ranged from Americana and blues, to big band and classical. These days, the Optigan lives on in distant memory, and in the studios of obscure instrument collectors: extant punctuation for an era before digital production effects.
But the musical and historic obscurity of the Optigan is ripe for the creativity of Rob Crow and Pea Hicks, who together have been producing music with the bygone instrument for decades. With their project, Optiganally Yours, the duo has put out three albums, including the recently released O.Y. In Hi-Fi.
Combining the distinctive tones of the Optigan and Crow’s penchant for unique songwriting (Crow also fronts San Diego bands Pinback and Heavy Vegetable), Optiganally Yours is a niche project unlike anything that’s come before it. On O.Y. In Hi-Fi, the group’s first album in eighteen years, the duo were able to record using thousands of archived loops that were never issued on original Optigan program discs from the ’70s. The result is a fresh take on an old instrument: 13 tracks, all expertly crafted, that at times eclipse the original sound of the instrument. In other words, on O.Y. In Hi-Fi, the Optigan naturally slips in with the album’s production quality—as if its outdated tech had been adopted by the digital mainstream decades ago.
From the first vocal track on this record, it’s clear that O.Y’s music is as unique as the instrument upon which they record. The quick opening track, “Theme From O.Y.nisqatsi,” showcases the Optigan in all its warm and dynamic glory. Established as an instrumental interlude, the Reggio-inspired track is revisited on the later “O.Y.nisqatsi” two-song suite. Together, these three tracks present an “unofficial” theme for the album: could the esoteric be worthwhile, nay, crucial to the balance of life? The bulk of O.Y. In Hi-Fi plays like a complex tapestry of samples and atmospheric sounds delivered with a veneer of traditional songwriting structures. Although technological studio advances allow for a more attainable sense of “perfection” on recordings, O.Y. never fail to create tracks that are as engaging as they are strange. And, for this, they have a relatively ancient piece of technology to thank.
The album’s second track, “How Does It Feel?” plays like a wandering rumination. Crow’s voice mirrors the nasal gymnastics of a younger Michael Stipe as he reflects, “I’m afraid, there’s no parade for these days.” Musically, the track is as busy as every other track on the album. The wealth of Optigan presets opens up a world of possibility that at times can cause the listening to become overwhelming.
“Pirates and Monkeys” and “Bionic Whale” both carry with them a certain Bossanova aesthetic that sounds a little jarring on a track led by a drum machine. The lyrical content of both tracks is obscure, the words becoming rhythms themselves.
The marriage of Crow’s vocals and the obscure brilliance of Hick’s Optigan-playing make O.Y. In Hi-Fi one of the most dynamic albums of the year. “Hope In Your Eyes” is a vivid fever dream, delivered in uncanny Crow fashion, while “This Heart,” gorgeous and steeped in sadness, is a slow-burning candle to a lifeless wind. The inventiveness of O.Y. goes without saying, but unfortunately, this creative spark is only as accessible as the instrument upon which it was created.
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