Customer Reviews

Otherly Opus

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like "Ministry of Archers", I'd have to say the commercial prospects for this album are pretty weak. I regret that only because I suspect this artist could make a broadly accessible album at any time (Need proof? Check out "Wireless, From London" on his "Workmanship" EP), and I'd like to see him get his due. Regardless, this is yet another great (and too short) album, with a new twist: rich, layered vocal parts throughout most of the tracks. The lyrics are uniformly idiosyncratic and cryptic, and pretty much guarantee that the images you conjure while listening will reveal more about you than Ronnie Martin.

After a year and a half of intense hard work, Ronnie Martin has emerged once again with yet another Joy Electric classic "The Otherly Opus", the fifth and final installement of his long-running "Legacy" concept album series. In this case, "The Otherly Opus" is a double-concept album with the first five tracks carrying one theme and the latter five tracks displaying another.

Like previous Joy Electric releases, "The Otherly Opus" showcases Ronnie's relentless talents for fusing catchy melodies with a wealth of experimentation. Unlike previous albums, Ronnie has put a larger emphasis on vocal arrangements here than on any other Joy Electric album. In addition to his trademark lead vocals, Ronnie also provides some very unique layered backing vocals on many of the tracks including "Colours In Dutch", "The Memory of Alpha", "The Ushering In of The Magical Era" and "Red Will Dye These Snows Of Silver".

Musically, the album is quite experimental but not in the most avant-garde extreme. The songs are still very tuneful and have a semi-industrial feel to them (especially in the latter half of the album). There's even one track, "Write Your Last Paragraph", that echoes the sound of Joy Electric's earlier material (ie: Melody, We Are The Music Makers, Old Wives Tales).

Overall, "The Otherly Opus" is another fine collection from Joy Electric and is continued proof that Ronnie keeps getting better with each album he releases. With the "Legacy" series now officially finished, I cannot help but be curious as to which musical direction Ronnie Martin is going to take next. One thing is definitely for sure, it will be awesome regardless.

A long time fan of Joy Electric, and really anything associated with the Martin brothers, the first time I heard Otherly Opus/Memory of Alpha, I was a little surprised because I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Ronnie had said sometime before that this album was going to be more vocal-oriented, and my favorite JE albums are the ones with the crazy electronic meanderings - like most of the songs on The White Songbook and earlier albums. After a year or so of casually listening to this record, I can now safely conclude that the vocal approach is undeniably brilliant.

I truly wish more people would be turned on to Joy Electric. There's nothing out there right now in this genre (or really in any genre) that is more experimental and inventive. Even when Ronnie is limiting himself to old Moog synthesizers he comes up with some of the most beautiful melodies I have ever heard (and I am an avid music fan).

The first time I heard Joy Electric's version of "Drum Machine Joy" due to an old MxPx covers cd (On the Cover), I was quick to think of JE as a novelty, fun dance band. I was wrong all those years ago as I've come to learn. Joy Electric is one of the most melodic, most innovative sounds in the world and this record is no exception.

Good to see the other 5 star reviews.

The Otherly Opus is outstanding, not only for it's strictly analog Moog-only electronic compositions, but for the layered vocals and poetic lyrics. The songwriting is solid, brainy, and pretentious in a good way, while the arrangements display a finesse which seems to grow with every subsequent JE release. If I were turing someone on to Joy Electric for the first time, The Otherly Opus, along with The Art and Craft of Popular Music would be a good place to start.

Joy Electric has put out some great music. This album, in my opinion, is some of Ronnie's best work. The tracks vary in emotional range from happy to melancholy and though I'm not a maker of electronic music, I can really appreciate (and enjoy) all the diverse sound effects and intricacies of the songs. I've listened to this CD over and over again and it still hasn't lost any of its musical flavor, it's great!

Fans of Joy Electric and connoisseurs of electronic music alike should add this to their album collection.