Although Odd Nosdam remains best known as one third
of the now defunct cLOUDDEAD,
he actually came to the attention of the Anticon collective
well before he joined the band, thanks to a series of
home-recorded cassettes showcasing his particular blend
of hip-hop-infused beat and richly layered soundscapes.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, David Philip Madson, AKA Odd
Nosdam, began experimenting with tapes in the mid-nineties
after coming into contact with De La Soul’s seminal
Three Feet High And Rising. This eventually
led him to meet Doseone and why? some years later. Followed
a series of luminous EPs, collected on the band’s
debut album, on which he modelled atmospheric sonic
backdrops for the pair’s diatribe. While Doseone
got involved in a variety of other projects, Nosdam
and why? collaborated on the album In The Shadow
Of The Living Room as Reaching Quiet. Nosdam also
released his first solo album, No More Wig For Ohio,
on Anticon in 2003.
Following last year’s impressive second and last
output as cLOUDDEAD,
Nosdam now returns with Burner, a collection
of twelve dense and atmospheric compositions building
on the soundscapes developed on Ten.
Although this is the work of Odd Nosdam, Burner
features collaborations with label mate Dosh, Dax Pierson
and Jel, who also officiate in Subtle
alongside Doseone, Orvar Smarason (Múm),
Andrew Broder (Fog), Doug McDiarmid, Faith No More’s
Mike Patton and Jessica Bailiff to name but a few.
If Nosdam is not new to the soundscapes exposed here,
Burner represents a major step in the evolution
of his music. Left free to explore sounds as his intends
to, Nosdam combines found sounds, real instrumentation,
samples and other elements into a series of dark and
often oppressive compositions. Nosdam crafts his intricate
soundtrack with great care, apparently initially developing
his compositions from a small pool of sounds, which
contributes to this album feeling extremely consistent
all the way through. Yet, each track is given a particular
twist as layer after layer of sounds and instruments
are applied, eventually forming dense clouds from which
vocal samples, street recordings, including gunshots
and street beatings recorded outside Nosdam’s
home, or vocal contributions erupt almost constantly.
Adding to the oppressive feeling left by his soundscapes,
Nosdam also uses repetition as a mean to destabilise
his audience and to maintain the tension from the opening
moments right to the very end. Recurring themes are
found all the way through this album, the most noticeable
echoed from Untitled One, which opens the album,
onto Untitled Two and Three. If this
can somehow disturb and confuse, it also gives this
album its particular relief and texture.
Burner is certainly not as accessible as Odd
Nosdam’s previous work, yet it is perhaps his
most consistent and strongest to date. Although the
variety of sound sources could have proved too much
to deal with by most musicians, Nosdam manages to create
here a stunning piece of contemporary music.
4.3/5.
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