A strange record. Even Psychic Mirrors, who previously caused a stir ten years ago with »Charlene« on Peoples Potential Unlimited, might be surprised by this construct. Because »Ophilia« is a concept album, an experiment, pop and avant-garde at the same time, meant to be deadly serious and a big joke simultaneously. Let’s start with the obvious, namely the underlying narrative: a Hollywood composer has one last chance to achieve a breakthrough – and has to produce a new sound for a struggling TV station to do so. The whole thing is set in the 80s, which you can also hear. The references are manifold: occasionally Toto’s »Hold The Line« comes through clearly, then the Doobie Brothers or Earth, Wind & Fire. Yes, Chicago and Steely Dan also have a big part to play here. In addition to all the AOR and yacht rock, the Psychic Mirrors also pull 50s doo-wop out of their sleeves, and even proto-house boogie. But beware: this is not a retro record, but an idiosyncratic production. Trained on vaporwave and the (nightmare) dream worlds of Chuck Person, it leaks violently from the first to the last minute. A pitch bend that coats everything and makes even the finest and most over candid vocal track an eerie pleasure. Even after the third listen – which is quite a lot of work, after all, the record offers up 19 tracks – you can’t think of anything else but to state once again that the line between genius and madness is a very narrow one.
Ophilia
