Magic Oneohtrix Point Never is a truly career-defining release for Oneohtrix Point Never. The eponymous title is taken from Lopatin’s original Oneohtrix Point Never moniker - a misheard play on the Boston soft-rock radio station Magic 106.7
Sonically, Magic Oneohtrix Point Never takes is an amagamation of OPN’s output of the last 10-12 years. From the deconstructed New Age plunderphonics of Replica and R Plus Seven, to the alt-rock and chamber pop songwriting of Garden Of Delete and Age Of and the symphonic, cinematic nature of the scores for Uncut Gems, Good Time and his production work for other artists. Magic Oneohtrix Point Never synthesizes all elements of his previous material to craft a cohesive humanistic masterwork, rendering the self-titling of the album as much a reference to his roots as to his entrenchment in the present moment.
An eponymous album is a symbolic highlight in an artist’s career. Though often reserved for the beginning of a catalogue, the tradition has also been evoked to designate a celebratory body of work that looks back and epitomizes a defining cultural moment. Oneohtrix Point Never categorically challenges most standard notions of linear thinking in music, constantly shifting within traditional paradigms, unwinding and re-weaving digital sensory triggers into contemporary sonatas.
Release: October 30th, 2020, Warp Records/Inertia Music
Words: Inertia