Oneida
Expensive Air
Joyful Noise Recordings [2024]
Album Overview: Oneida is a versatile band that navigates between the punk, psych, and rock scenes in NYC and the experimental art world. Known for their live improvisations, they’ve played at both gritty rock venues and esteemed cultural institutions. They’ve collaborated with notable artists and their members are involved in various other music projects, highlighting their wide-ranging influences and commitments. Expensive Air is Oneida’s 17th full-length album. The project began as structured rock songs but transformed through the band’s collaborative process into something more intense and complex. The album was recorded across three sessions in 2023, mixed in early 2024, and it represents a progression from their previous work, Success (2022). The creation of Expensive Air involved a unique process where Bobby Matador crafted the initial song structures in Boston and sent them to the rest of the band in New York. The New York contingent—Kid Millions, Hanoi Jane, Shahin Motia, and Barry London—experimented with the arrangements, adding dissonant harmonies and pushing the compositions beyond their original confines. This approach resulted in an album that retains melodic foundations while embracing unpredictability and sonic exploration, reflecting the band’s dynamic and collaborative spirit. It is this more overall free feeling on Expensive Air that really makes this record connect and creates something new to hear with each spin.
Musical Style: Expensive Air features eight tracks that have been worked into more aggressive and intricate pieces that heard on some of their previous work. The band’s approach incorporates their signature blend of structure and improvisation, resulting in a sound that is both challenging and captivating.
Evolution of Sound: Building on the more accessible tracks from Success (2022), Expensive Air pushes the boundaries of their music further with many more edgy psych moments. The band sharpened their performance through live shows over the past two years, which contributed to the harder, faster, and wilder nature of this album.
Artists with Similar Fire: Fans of artists like Sonic Youth, Pere Ubu, Yo La Tengo, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor will likely appreciate Oneida’s work due to their similar experimental and boundary-pushing approaches to music.
Pivotal Tracks: Key tracks on the album exemplify the band’s evolution and the album’s intense energy starting with the lead off track “Reason To Hide.” This over 7-minute track’s riff will embed in your head! “Here It Comes” is one of the catchiest tracks on the record with a big singalong chorus. The closing “Gunboats” builds upon the band’s strengths in both structured composition and spontaneous, instinctual play as it slowly grinds past 8 minutes and swirls the music around you!
Lyrical Strength: The lyrics on Expensive Air balance introspection with humor, mirroring the album’s mix of raw emotion and playful self-awareness. The themes explore deeper and more personal reflections.
ONEIDA LINKS
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