O.lamm is a Frenchman named Olivier and his work expounds on a idealistic and perhaps particularly narrow view of French music. Thinking of disco balls, underwater filter sweeps, and a tendency towards unfettered fun. O.lamm upholds the strong pop sensibility and smart hooks inherent in all great French electro wizardry.
Monolith isn't so much about robots getting off the bus. Its more like Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson dueling with Mega Man, all 8-bit pixelation and unadulterated fun. This is synth pop for the Nintendo generation. "Genius Boy" is a cavalcade of adventurous glitch, like a cartoon theme song for an all-star Nintendo character jam, before settling into sweet pop bliss complete with cute Japanese girl vocals. The excitement is palpable as you get deep into the string-groove of "The Macguffin", a track that finds perfect use for the high melodrama of female J-Pop, the type that soars on the wings of Ayumi Hamasaki and beyond.
"Open Malice" seems to be the "single" here. And by that I only mean that it has, y'know, the most wide-ranging appeal. Its a true dancefloor gem brimming with dirty King Koopa synth and detached electroclash vocals. Like if Annie hung out all the time with Miss Kitten about four years ago. Uh, that is if we assume such a splicing would achieve the best possible results. "Aerialist" is yet another of the record's highpoints. It makes me want to ride lazerbeams on a futuristic jetski!! And maybe the song is a bit of futurism in anticipating such an experience.
Monolith stands as a beacon of evolution, a hope for a better future, and we are all just apes hopping around waiting to be touched by the light.
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