Vibration Animal Sex Brain Music is the second full-length by Orchestra Of Spheres, an especially extravagant group of Kiwis. Along with the experimental nature of their music, they are known for their visually detailed live performances and outlandish style of dress. With this record, they bring forward more spacey fuzz and chanting vocals that sound as though they’re sung through a megaphone, combining into a sort of psychedelic funk that is as digital as it is organic.
The album is based very heavily on sharp, glitchy drumming, which forms a basis for wobbling guitars and synth lines that become almost carnival-esque at times. “Numbers” is the first lyrically dense song, where repeating phrases fade in and out of one another, creating something that is both far-out and in-your-face frisky. The following track, “Moro C Con,” begins with a 40-second classic distortion guitar intro, before evolving into a tune that’s almost appropriate for Riverdance. Featuring funky bass plucking and a kind of disco-house vibe, “Mind Over Night” has a fun aesthetic that’s coupled with more than enough shrieking, making it what can only be described as a thrill.
If there were a Grammy category for the most aptly-named album, no other nomination could even compare to VASBM. Having five words that so appropriately simplify the record’s contents is remarkable, especially when two of the words make the phrase “animal sex.” But it’s all here: Buzzing vibrations, brain-twisters, imitations of animal coitus, and, not surprisingly, music. As a band that perfectly fills its niche as a bastard child of indie rock and post-disco, Orchestra Of Spheres manage with this release to break the chains of being considered a novelty act, all while still looking and sounding like one.
In A Word: Outlandish
