24 Apr 2024
Oyawa - Album Review: I Don't Recall Ordering Ordinary
03 Jul 2017 // A review by Ria Loveder
Indie/alternative band Oyawa have bought their loud and
ambient tones to the New Zealand music scene with their album I Don’t Recall
Ordering Ordinary.
It is evident to hear that Oyawa are not afraid to
experiment with sound. They have used this album to freely explore melodies,
chords and structure.
This album is a unification of undulating guitar riffs,
rolling drums, and an abundance of energy and strong vocals from Nikki Ngatai
and backup vocals from Brett Garrity.
This is definitely not an album one would have playing in
the background - if you listen to this, to get the full experience, it needs
that volume turned up loud!
Oyawa know when to use noise to create impact, but also when
to use refined and restrained melodies to make an impression.
An album that is diverse and interesting to listen to, it
keeps within its alternate genre without sounding repetitious.
Stand out tracks for me were Dead Flowers which has
interesting lyrics with rock vibes and Holes, using hypnotic, surging and
atmospheric guitar chords.
If alternative rock is up your alley, I would recommend you
give Oyawa a listen!
About Oyawa
Nikki Ngatai, singer/guitarist, sings like she should be in the Vandellas whilst playing guitar like she should be in Polvo. The other guitarist Cliff Bateman saw the Who in utero but favors the harsh tones of certain touch and go bands. There are no rhythm and lead roles as they push and pull and clash against each other whilst the rhythm section churn away in the foreground. The drummer Miles Gillett was raised by a prog jazzer but fell in love with the simplicity of American Indie and hardcore while Brett Garrity on bass believes that repetition is not a dirty word and also provides counterpoint vocals to the melodic singing up front.
If all this seems a bit noisy…it is…but they also know when to shut up and what it takes to make a song both accessible and also interesting.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Oyawa
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