OU’s first adventure caused big enough waves for labelmate Devin Townsend to sign on to give 蘇醒 II: Frailty a level of production one didn’t quite have. Often, Townsend’s most intriguing engineering work has arrived via his softer, layered works (Ki, Ghost, Transcendence) where his minimalist weavings shine bright. And while OU has one foot in the other maximalist realm that earned Townsend a reputation for pushing a throbbing wall of sound, the back half of one, and, consequently, the comedowns of 蘇醒, finds power in the explosions of careful and heavily layered builds. In this space, Townsend allows OU’s spry synthcraft and ethereal vocal layering to wisp about with freedom, frantic abandon, and dreamy oscillation.
As such, every moment of 蘇醒 steps either toward a serene tension or an explosive climb. Drummer and primary songwriter Anthony Vanacore rests the center of OU’s sound, laying foundations that range from a mathematically erratic SikTh kick-infested bounce (“淨化 Purge”) to a Jegog emulating wonderland that’s as much King Crimson as it is “Kaneda’s Theme” (“念 Recall”). Whether the drive of a track calls for virtuosic snare ghosting (“海 Ocean”) or arena-weighted hammering (“破魂 Spirit Broken”), his kit serves as a guide. And in suit, his stringed bandmates render as tonal chameleons, lurching along with chord-expanding drones and pops to build ascending progressions (“蘇醒 Frailty,” “海 Ocean”) or offering Metheny-smooth jazzy counterpoint to swell drifting ambience (“血液 Redemption”). OU’s compositional vocabulary rests in harmonic excess, a point in which this seasoned troupe indulges for 歪歪地愛 YYDS,2 which is both offensive and brilliant in its forceful djent playfulness.
But all of the above hinges on the energetic flow that vocalist Lynn Wu imbues across each track. Again offering her services only in her native Chinese tongue, there isn’t a single word across 蘇醒 that I understand, though lyric translations and title themes paint a picture throughout that lands a touch more introspective than OU’s previous work. In turn, Wu’s chopped and terraced patterns spiral and gather toward sonic peaks where a lead guitar normally might exist in a different context (“蘇醒 Frailty,” “海 Ocean,” “輪迴 Reborn”). As a more traditional and piercing rock voice, Wu holds her own against the equally wailing Townsend on “淨化 Purge” and works alone to swing “破魂 Spirit Broken” between outcry and melancholic resolution. And still reaching further for new levels of manipulation, Wu sees her lines shifted to a vocaloid approximation to match the low-bit charm of “衍生 Capture and Elongate (Serenity).”3 Whatever character 蘇醒 requires Wu embodies in an unparalleled manner.
After all, it’s the idiosyncratic atmosphere into which OU collects its myriad sounds that makes 蘇醒 II: Frailty such a delight. And with a spacious master to back its meticulous construction and snappy runtime, it’s effortless to fall prey to the polyrhythmic hypnosis that OU has mastered. The most unfortunate part, though, about sinking deeper in love with what this singular Chinese act has created is that its only real partner is the previous OU album. So if you’re new to the game, you’re in luck, you get one and II. And if you need any extra convincing, just ask yourself whether you enjoy listening to prog that drives lesser music enjoyers up a wall. The real fun is where others fear to look.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Inside Out Music | Bandcamp4
Websites: outheband.com | facebook.com/ou.theband
Releases Worldwide: April 26th, 2024
