Customer Reviews

Secret Wars

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's tempting to compare this Brooklyn trio to Sonic Youth: they hail from the same neck of the woods, they both embrace noise, and both aren't afraid to lay down 15-minute tracks. To be fair, though, Oneida has its own basement-punk sound, favoring chewy keybs and nods to 70's rock (think Blue Cheer, Deep Purple, maybe even Yes (listen to "The Last Act, Every Time"). After several listens, these tracks grow on you, though this might be the byproduct of musical recurrence, for each track on Secret Wars builds itself upon an essential repetition. Around the repetitions, though, the band lets loose. Check out the sonic propulsion finale of "Treasure Plane" (along with the submarine sonar keyboard fills) or the kitchen sink percussion solo on "Caesar's Column." You also have to like a band that keeps the CD's running time under 45 minutes (another nod to the days of LPs?), and that's with the 15-minute "Changes in the City" included.

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Oneida's "Secret Wars" continues a trend set by "Anthem" and "Each One Teach One"; this band is creating a new brand of psychedelic music. Oneida use a mixture of heavy drums, guitar, and droning keyboards to create an in-your-face brand of catchy psych rock--just check out the first few songs. The opener mechanically grinds through a blissful cycle of chant-like euphoria. The vocals are generally pushed back in the mix, making for an overall intoxicating effect (aka psychedelic). My favorites are "Wild Horses," "The Last Act, Every Time" (Velvet Underground sounding), and "The Winter Shaker." Oneida uses a lot of repetition to get their drug-simulation point across, so it might grate on you for the first couple listens. However, if you give them a chance the music will really grow on you in a good way. I recommend these guys if you like Pink Floyd, Velvet Underground, Soft Machine or the Secret Machines.

Better give this record a chance. Darn good eclectic album. Don't miss the boat on these guys.

Oneida has been rocking the psychedelic for a really long time. On Secret Wars, they have really perfected their unique sound. The album opens up with the somewhat melodic, and laid back "Treasure Plane", and then proceeds to completely kick your ass with two phenomenal rock songs "Caesar's Column", and "Capt. Bo Dignifies Allegations With A Response." These three songs are worth the price alone, however the album doesn't let up! In fact, the only sub-excellent song is "The Winter Shaker", which is just down right annoying. But, skip that track and you have a practically perfect album. The 14-minute album closer is wonderful repetitious build, which will destroy you and everything else in the room.
thezane of IndieTech

I am happy to say that I'm not really the first person reviewing this album somewhere where many thousands of people could possibley see it- Oneida has had the fortune to have been reviewed in countless major magazines now with their new album Secret Wars. I've been an Oneida fan for a while now and i was extremely excited to get their new effort. I was not disapointed. This album is awesome. Throw out all the other 'it' bands, all the other hipster, distortion-loving noise makers out there- Oneida is where it's at. Buy this album and be impressed, go see them live and have your head implode. All the songs on this album are really cool, but there are highlights. My favorite's are the first song, Treasure Plane, and also Caesar's Column for it's infectious drum beat and bounciness. Wild Horses is killer, and The Last Act, Every Time is a mind blowing freak out fest, and the album concludes with a fantastic 14 minute (i think) exploration that is not what you might expect Oneida to do with 14 minutes after hearing their last album.. there are more than 2 notes in this one.
Read the reviews in the big publications if you want buzz words like 'new york's psychadelic troubadors of noise' or whatever, and i guess thats a good way of describing them, but im just going to tell you how much damn ASS Oneida KICKS. if you go see them and you still have your ass unkicked, you are hopeless. If you buy this album (which you should, along with their other ones) and you arent blown away, i dont know what to tell you.. cause this album blows me away just like their other albums.

Brooklyn's Oneida have been around for nearly ten years now and in the process have released six albums. To tell the truth there aren't many bands which mix Sonic Youthy punk with kraut-rock and some jazz thrown in so well. In fact there ISN'T a band that does that!!!! Although quite an influential band, they have never really gotten the recognition that they deserve, so hopefully with their sixth album `Secret Wars' things will change.

Where their sound was more aggressive, now its become a bit more accessible and ...yes there are quite a few catchy tunes (Treasure Plane, Captain Bo Dignifies Allegations with a Response). In fact, the aforementioned `Treasure Plane' is a fantastic song and really sets the tone of this record. Throughout the album, the quality doesn't dip and the band even manage to pull off a 14 minute song AND not be boring. Well done, a record to treasure.

I consider Oneida one of the most underappreciated bands not only in the Brooklyn NY scene but in the underground today. They ooze impetuous raw rock energy like few other bands, that demands to be listened to. They are also proud denizens of the psychadelic inner space that inhabits the cosmic cranium. This is psychadelic music that does not require drugs to enjoy. The music's psychic serum will be enough. "come on everybody lets rock" and "anthem of the moon" are exceptional and underappreciated albums that need to be heard before Secret Wars, because they will aquaint you with what this band is fully capable of. I have yet to hear Secret Wars but I'm sure it meets or exceeds the sonic brilliance found on the aformentioned albums. This is not the adulation of a histrionic zealot but of somebody who believes more need to feel this vital music...to feed their heads!

so Oneida have finally managed to live up to the promise of their Sonic Youth meets Can meets the MC5 sound. this record is truly a stoner rock masterpiece. if you don't wanna do drugs while listening to this then you must be one of those drug free lifestyle kinda dorks i always see at the club who hate me cuz i can snort a mountain and still have an intelegent conversation about the state of the new garage revolution and it's lasting impact on the teen pop dominated market...wait a second, what the hell am i talking about? oh man, i am f*cking wasted...yeah uh Oneida rule. they make you wanna do drugs and listen to Can.