Odd Nosdam – Pretty Swell Explode (Anticon, 2008)
(This originally appeared in Skyscraper)
The Cincinnati native and cLOUDDEAD founder brings out Pretty Swell Explode, not so much as a follow up to Level Live Wires, but as a summation of recent remixes and apparent ephemera. This collection comes in the form of a double cd. The shorter, second disc is comprised of drone induced ambient music with the only beat coming from the Boards of Canada remix “Dayvan Cowboy.” Even if this consistent blueprint gets chalked up to style, the main disc of this offering fairs only slightly better. What saves this album is the ability of Odd Nosdam’s tracks to imbibe an ethereal feel that easily marries his chunky keyboard melodies. That’s most likely why “Untitled Three” leads this disc off, but soon falls flat. Reinvigorating the aural traipsing through this affair is the half-way marker “Hollow Me”, which sounds distant and yes, hollow. The vast reverb on what is the snare-downbeat somehow recalls bees. And with the inclusion of what sounds like a melodica, this track almost seems out of place amongst the remix fodder. Considering though that this is not a proper album by the producer, the follow up to Level Live Wires can and will surely surpass what listeners will find here.
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