Boston electronica artist André Obin, who has been large on the touring scene for almost five years, opening for acts like M83 and Washed Out, has finally dropped a full-length album this week. His work The Arsonist moves with virtuosic fervor through forty-five minutes of synth-driven daydreams. It vies for its own shimmering uniqueness of ruminative sound, but tethered to the wake of chillwave it really achieves its best moments while touching on elements of eighties-minded pop and psychedelia.
A gentle breeze of sound carries light, airy synths to your ear in the intro track “Golden Hair” before shock chords build above a crescendoing beat and ethereal dance music emerges out of the flowy glow. After it catches a neat groove the track heads back to chime-land where vocoder voices sound shrouded calls. It’s the sort of music perfect for long, reflective drives alone, and even at seven minutes it doesn’t seem too long.
Other tracks seem occupied with waking up from this electronic-induced lull. “The Arsonist” starts with bright arpeggiated synths before intruding with grimy bass synths and dark vocals. “Lemondrop” abruptly pounds its drum machine while spraying the ambiance with euphoric synths. “Soft Rain” plays at pop melodies but is overcome by dreamwave drift, while “Gazelle” drops in with a burst of fluttering synths and more grimy bass.
There are two real stand-out tracks here. With a solid kicking beat, “Enjoy” is six minutes of fat synth fun that slowly works you over into its moodier psychedelia soundscape. And perfectly blending pop sounds with pensive power, “Blue Powder” is a magical beauty whose shaded, breathy vocals carry a sort of arresting contemplativeness to them and whose bright synths dip their toes in the glimmering aural waters of eighties passion. They are songs to take with you on a solitary day, to sit with and dream over, and they won’t tire easily on your ears. Hopefully it won’t be another five years until Obin releases more music of this caliber.
