Artist: OPTO S
Album: Human Indictive/Live
Release date: 2021
I was sucked in to this one immediately by its deep and eerie grooves, sort of heavy psych with a little drone and dark synth. It's dystopic and menacing at times, but entrancing and hypnotic all the same. The world might be ending, but I'm enjoying what I'm hearing. OPTO S are a trio: Argelis Liriano on bass and vocals, Charles Dodson on synth, guitar, and vocals, amd Diana K. on drums and percussion. Ben Jaffe joins on tenor sax on a couple numbers on this album. Human Indictive/Live was recorded live during two concerts, one at The Broadway in Brooklyn from Jan. 2020 and the other at The Footlight in Ridgewood from Feb. 2020.
The first track, Carmine Street, is instrumental and gives the impression that Enzo G. Castellari has taken over the Manhattan street and turned it into something akin to 1990: The Bronx Warriors. The next one, Dream Cutter, features moans and guttural sounds that might be words, but with all the reverb becomes another aural texture to blend with the music. The standout track to me was Airlift, where the synth turns into siren-like warnings over percussion militaristic drum rolls. Before My Eyes changes the pace a little bit, it's more driving with a post-punk feel but still with that gutter goth groove that pervades the whole album. My other favorite track is the final one, Downlow, when Ben Jaffe joins on tenor sax. I enjoyed his playing in Pill and P.E. and it's great to hear him unleash his wails here. This is the sort of live album that makes me wish I had been there and reminds me to get out of the house more often. At least OPTO S recorded it for the rest of us.
Available from ESP-Disk: https://optosesp.bandcamp.com/album/human-indictive-live
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