Music for Reliquary House / In 1980 I Was a Blue Square
Music For Reliquary House / In 1980 I Was A Blue Square | ||||
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Studio album by Oneohtrix Point Never and Rene Hell | ||||
Released | September 17, 2012 | |||
Genre |
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Length | 41:08 | |||
Label | NNA Tapes | |||
Producer |
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Daniel Lopatin chronology | ||||
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Rene Hell chronology | ||||
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Side A cover | ||||
![]() Music for Reliquary House | ||||
Singles from Music for Reliquary House | ||||
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Side B cover | ||||
![]() In 1980 I Was a Blue Square | ||||
Singles from In 1980 I Was A Blue Square | ||||
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Music For Reliquary House / In 1980 I Was A Blue Square is a
The first half of the LP is the Oneohtrix Point Never side Music for Reliquary House, a composition and set of remixes of audio Lopatin produced for Nate Boyce's
Composition
For both
Music For Reliquary House
The Oneohtrix Point Never
All of the five parts on Music for Reliquary House contain snippets of computer-synthesized human speech reconstructed into new soundscapes, which, as the press release explained, are "starkly melodic at times, but altogether harsh and inhuman as a whole."[4] Most of the vocal samples perform atonal riffs, and in the very few moments when they perform actual melodies, they are "melodic in the odd way that internet dial-up tones' splintery, collapsing bells are," wrote Kerr.[6] Writer Rachael Markham described the tone of the speech structure as "gentle, yet unwavering, luring you almost to the point of hypnosis."[7] Shaw categorized Music for Reliquary House as a religious piece due to the fact that voices are the primary instruments in the composition, comparing it to the works of György Ligeti in that it is "focusing more on a harrowing awe of the almighty than hallowed worship."[1] The composition also features what Markham labeled as "otherworldly" synthesizer sounds that are "steadily elevating like ascension into heaven, droning and sagging like stagnant church organs, tumbling over each other in a fast-paced techno speed chase."[7]
Colin Joyce, a journalist for Beats Per Minute, found Music for Reliquary House very "harsh" and unsettling for an Oneohtrix Point Never recording, writing that Lopatin "aims here less for an ethereal sweep or space-filling meander, opting instead for pointed, harsh, and chilling textures."[8] These harsh sounds include circular saw-like noises on "Stone of Spiritiual Understanding," high-pitched sounds on "Free Ride," and the sound effect on "The Letter" that, in the words of Neyland, "sounds like Lopatin's hard drive attempting to turn itself inside out, edging close to the collapse-of-civilization vibe of "Nil Admirari" from Returnal."[2]
In 1980 I Was A Blue Square
In 1980 I Was A Blue Square is a
Joyce found In 1980 I Was A Blue Square different from the "spacey synth journeys" of Witscher's past records due to its use of acoustic instrumentation and simple compositions: "He aims less to explore the cosmos than to compose something simple and then turn it into something stirring."[8] In describing this piece's combination of noise sounds with real instruments, Joyce analyzed, "There are obvious elements of both compositions, as string swells unearth themselves from the mire, but by and large, the haze is unidentifiable–uniform in its unique sweep, but with its components guarded. The fog is distinct, but its origins indeterminate."[8]
"Meta Concrète" begins in a 12
8
8 structure but now including the addition of vibrating sul ponticello strings.[1]
Release
“Meta Concrete” was released as the lead single of Music For Reliquary House / In 1980 I Was A Blue Square on August 28, 2012.[10] On September 11, Dummy magazine premiered "Stone of Spiritual Understanding."[5] On September 12, Music For Reliquary House / In 1980 I Was A Blue Square became available for streaming worldwide.[11] It was released on vinyl and in digital stores in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2012 and in the United States a day later.[11]
Reception
Review scores | ||
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Source | Rating | |
The 405 | 8/10 Beats per Minute | Music For Reliquary House: 74%[8] In 1980 I Was A Blue Square: 81%[8] |
Fact | 4/5[1] | |
The Line of Best Fit | 6.5/10[12] | |
Pitchfork | 6.6/10[2] | |
The Skinny | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
XLR8R | 7/10[6] |
Markham, who reviewed for The 405, honored the split LP as "creative, original and above all personal, creating a view into the listener's individual paradise."[7] Joyce spotlighted the album for having two sides being done by separate artists, writing that "without the organic warmth of Witscher’s side, Lopatin’s vocal manipulations might have come across as too unwieldy, too formless, too haughty to be revisited with any sort of regularity."[8] Shaw praised Music for Reliquary House as a "dynamic total listen" while his opinion on In 1980 I Was a Blue Square was, "while the premise of pairing naïve, genuinely lovely classical compositions with the extremities and subtleties of sonic technology is a simple idea, the ability to do so successfully, featuring them together in such a way that the pieces are unfinished without one or the other, is far harder. Hell has done so, modestly and with highly commendable results."[1]
Shukla praised the Oneohtrix Point Never side as "an unexpectedly soothing, though not particularly adventurous, excursion into the realm of glitch." However, he criticized the Rene Hell piece as "jarringly discordant and disappointingly polite, often coming across like a less elegantly realised take on Keith Fullerton Whitman's Variations for Oud and Synthesizer," but still found it "strangely compelling" due to its "heavy-handed play of contrasts."[3] Kerr described the listening experience of Music for Reliquary House as listening to a film score without watching the accompanying film: "It's pleasing enough, but rarely transcendent. There's an innate feeling throughout that one piece of the puzzle is missing."[6]
Track listing
Source:[13]
No. | Title | Sculpture by[5] | Length |
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1. | "Stone of Spiritual Understanding" | Isamu Noguchi | 5:07 |
2. | "Midday" | Anthony Caro | 3:16 |
3. | "Free Ride" | Tony Smith | 6:54 |
4. | "Cubi X" | David Smith | 2:58 |
5. | "The Letter" | D. Smith | 4:02 |
Total length: | 22:17 |
No. | Title | Alternate Title[14] | Length |
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1. | "Meta Concrete" | 4:12 | |
2. | "Untitled Solo 4" | "Quelque Terreur" | 2:29 |
3. | "The Bridge" | "Prelude To The Bridge" | 3:22 |
4. | "Qi" | "Variation in C" | 6:40 |
5. | "Quick Folding Motion" | "Bl Qs"" | 2:08 |
Total length: | 18:51 |
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label |
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Worldwide[11] | September 12, 2012 | Streaming | NNA Tapes |
United Kingdom[11] | September 17, 2012 |
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United States[13] | September 18, 2012 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Shaw, Steve (September 17, 2012). "Music for Reliquary House / In 1980 I Was A Blue Square". Fact. The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ Conde Nast. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Shukla, Mark (September 3, 2012). "Oneohtrix Point Never / Rene Hell – Music For Reliquary House / In 1980 I Was A Blue Square". The Skinny. Radge Media. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "NNA051: Oneohtrix Point Never / Rene Hell split LP". NNA Tapes Official Website. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Ka Ying Chan, Karen (September 11, 2012). "Oneohtrix Point Never – Stone of Spiritual Understanding". Dummy. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Kerr, Steve (September 24, 2012). "Oneohtrix Point Never/Rene Hell Music for Reliquary House/In 1980 I Was a Blue Square". XLR8R. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Markham, Rachael (September 25, 2012). "Oneohtrix Point Never & Rene Hell – Music For Reliquary House / In 1980 I Was A Blue Square". The 405. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ Beats per Minute. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ Darton-Moore, Theo (August 22, 2012). "Oneohtrix Point Never & Rene Hell Split LP Due". The Quietus. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (August 28, 2012). ""Meta Concrete" by Rene Hell". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Full stream of Oneohtrix Point Never and Rene Hell’s split LP". Dummy. September 12, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
- ^ O'Farrell, Freddie (October 2, 2012). "Oneohtrix Point Never/Rene Hell – Music for Reliquary House/In 1980 I Was a Blue Square". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Music For Reliquary House / In 1980 I Was A Blue Square (2012). Oneohtrix Point Never / Rene Hell. NNA Tapes. NNA051.
- ^ "Listen: Rene Hell “Meta Concrete”". Earbuddy. September 5, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2017.