If I were to ever strangle a entire family other than my own, it would be the family upstairs. For hours and hours out of any given day, they let their kids stomp, run and drag heavy objects across the floor despite my many, many pleas to stop.

Fairly recently Republican gasbag Ben Carson wondered why anyone would ever want to kill another person or destroy someone else's life, simply because they disagree on something. I agree that the upstairs neighbors make too much noise and they agree that they don't make enough. He would never move into my apartment long enough to find out what and when that breaking point is.

Just as I'm about to break the in-case-of-civil-war-break-glass case that frames the Congo style machete next to my front door, I get a notification that there's a new release on Bandcamp by Occam's Laser. To my murderous frustration, it's thirteen enjoyable tracks of dynamic synthpop to ease the soul, but not without some resistance along the way.

The first thing I noticed with this release is the off beat/key moments like during the first track, which doesn't waste any time letting you know this is a dance record; with the first few lines of the verse.

It's pretty noticeable it falls a bit off the mark and this is consistent throughout the whole release... but it's not a deal breaker because it sounds like it's intentional.

How couldn't it be? His strong sense of rhythm is clear, his beats are spot on. So he has to be doing it on purpose. But then it got me to thinking about those bad synth-driven movie soundtracks this kind of music conjures up.

Let's assume those artists/musicians were looking to make it big. I think it's safe to assume they were and couldn't cut it. Why is that? It's likely because no one was crawling over another, trying to get to them. They weren't hits. They didn't have something everyone wanted.

That's not the case here. There are hooks all over this thing but sometimes the presentation is also slightly off. Here's what I mean.

As I said, the opening track just goes right into what Take Your Time is, and that opening track is all about simplicity. You can't imagine that it would disconnect with the rest of the release somehow, even if someone told you with hard cash -- assuming you don't sell easily.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1021728143 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 track=1422878952]
But then the way Just Give Me Your Love seduces its way next in line is a complete contrast in production that can be fixed if there was something more dramatic added to the first track.

It's as simple as a slight of hand that would make that second track come across as the real oomph to the whole thing, enticing the listener further in during the first hit of the drums, then you'd feel it again with the synth melody.

Go back and listen to that again, I just fired some Cure off right across your bow.

The instrumental, Portmanteaus brings us right back because what would a Occam's Laser album be without a instrumental?
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1021728143 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 track=100963155]
And look, a few sentences before there was an asshole putting bad marks on this thing! I hate that guy because regardless in actuality, I like this album! It's probably one of the many releases that's got more heart in it than the others. My favorites in this are Just Give Me Your Love, Someone New, For Us Tonight and Midnight Air.

A week ago, I wrote about a skate center I want to do some events at. Unless someone steals that idea from me, I'm putting this release in the music spin cycle.

My message to Tom Stuart is, if you've never thought of yourself as the real deal and figured making music would just be a little hobby of your's, dude... you're the real fucking deal now. I'm making the official proclamation that you've gone pro. Which brings me back to the front door, maybe I better strengthen my swinging arm first before I go up there?

GUYS! Stop fucking around and GET THIS RELEASE NOW!