Animoscillator - Experimental Electronic - Bozeman, MT
by Eric Toennis
Living out in Oregon for the past half decade, it’s been tough for me to keep up with the local music scene in my home state of Montana. I was awarded a treat one fateful night last year in Eugene when popular Bozeman, MT band Modern Sons came through for a show at the historic WOW Hall. With their upbeat pop, psychedelic, and alternative-rock style, the local Eugene youth were enthralled with the band, and it was one of the better crowds I had ever seen there. I was already enjoying their set immensely when in one memorable moment, out of fucking left field, their guitarist flipped a switch on his pedal and the next thing I knew I was hearing the sound of laser beams shooting out of his instrument. Like the Millennium Falcon had entered the airspace above our heads. I was blown away at the creativity to meld this seamlessly into the flow of their sound, and the gutsiness to try a move so bold. So, when I recently learned that said laser beam-shooting guitarist was coming out with a new album for his solo project, Animoscillator, I was intrigued to say the least at what the possibilities could be.
To be honest I’m not a huge enthusiast of electronic music, so it is always with trepidation that I step into the ring with listening to this genre. I dabble here and there. But, with his newest release, The Ocelot Lost An Awful Lot, Animoscillator aka the man behind the mask aka musician/visual artist Dan Haywood has created something that I have now gone back to multiple times. Ok, first of all, let’s talk about the name. It’s a fucking riot. I am a sucker for word play and this album had me at Ocelot. I also commend the creativity of the track names. Read in a row, they create a whimsical little poem about what I can only imagine is the musical journey that the before-established Ocelot embarks on in this collection.
But, I digress. Let’s get to the meat of this Ocelot. The album is an assemblage of experimental electronic tracks recorded live in one shot by Dan, and they’re chock full of bass, keyboard, synths, beats, audio clips, and a plethora of spacey sounds. The first time I plugged this into my head, I felt like I was captaining a spaceship through the stars with a band of robots playing electronic funk music behind me. My inner (and outer) geek was tickled. And, I think that’s what really won me over about this album. I can hear a multitude of influences contributing to this from the electronic genre to science fiction to video games. I can imagine this as the soundtrack to an epic sci-fi adventure, or the ambient background music of a binge-worthy-steam-punk-inspired video game. With each track, we are brought to the next stage of the journey, through all the highs and lows of the story and sounds.
The opening track, “It Can’t Be Forgot,” brings the listener in with a spacey and almost funk-inspired sound (hence band of robots) that really sets the stage. And, there is such a wide range of styles that happen throughout this. I found myself really amped up in the middle of the album when the industrial “It Fought & Fought & Fought” kicks in. It reminded me of a space-themed Nine Inch Nails output minus the raspy vocals and guitar. It felt like the epic climax of our journey before we descend into the closing act. There was also a really nice softer moment on this album with the third track “Its Home, Children and All That He Knew.” This track is probably the most ambient sounding of all of them. It’s almost strange to say that electronic music can evoke emotionality, but I felt a somber and melancholy air fall over me as the swirling keyboard effects flitted around my head. I think it’s an impressive feat to be able to do that through in this type of music. Emotions are an important part of musical connection and I think in a lot of ways this album succeeds in that. It finishes strong too with the bass-filled “We Bought & Bought & Bought [ f l o a t i n g REMIX]” and the almost six minute long finale “Left to Rot” that features ominous futuristic sounding audio clips.
Broadening horizons seems to usually be a fruitful endeavor, and for me I’m glad that I had the chance to stumble across this album. I think Animoscillator is proof that a variety of unique artists reside in The Big Sky State, and it makes me want to discover more. Also, as a last note, Dan is using all the proceeds for this album to help pay medical expenses for his ailing father as he travels across the country to be with him. So, support a local artist, and support a good deed.
