CD Review - OSI

I have to admit that my initial response to the phrase "progressive rock supergroup" isn't a necessarily positive one. Sure, I'm a rabid Dream Theater fan, and I dig the occasional Rush or Pink Floyd tune, but most of the rest of that stuff is either too cheesy, or too much like masturbation with a guitar to really appeal to me. Still, I keep my ear to the ground for new discs coming out that might interest me, and this one definitely caught my ear.

From the opening track, OSI (Office of Strategic Influence) hooks your ear, and proceeds to create a music that has both seriously heavy guitar riffs, and beautifully rich electronic soundscapes, all in songs that are (with one exception) five minutes or less. It's interestingly akin to what you might call prog pop, and not necessarily what I expected to hear. Taking their name from a US Government plan to disseminate false information to foreign media ("watch CNN" was probably the end result), the sparse lyrical content woven into the songs is eerie and paranoid, but fits very well with the overall mood of the disc.

The first two tracks are very heavy, with guitarist Jim Matheos (Fates Warning) and drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) cranking out the power, and keyboardist Kevin Moore (Chromakey, ex Dream Theater) creating a thick background to play off things. I've always loved Moore's ability to work in spoken word samples into his music, and the lead track here is no exception, kicking off with a sample of Dan Rather, I'm quite sure, and working in other bits throughout the song, ending with another Rather quote to break the first two tracks up. It's masterful.

Moore's influence is all over this disc, which I quite enjoy, but which might turn off anyone looking for a lengthy prog epic. The songs feature simple patterns of rhythms and riffs, sparse vocals that seem to compliment, rather than lead the songs, and keyboard work that seems to add texture to the sound, rather than melody. Somehow at the same time, though, the tracks manage to have a pop feel to them. It's really quite unique, and frankly I lack the words to truly describe it. If you've heard any of Moore's work as Chromakey, just imagine it heavier. If you haven't, I urge you to check out any of this you can find. The Chromakey song Another Permanent Address is one of my favorite songs ever, and this OSI disc simply has to be heard to be believed.

The Master and his keyboard... and his Mac Powerbook G3 - my exact computer. I knew this guy was cool!

Tracks three and six lay down rich acoustic guitar work, and some trippy Floyd style melodies. Tracks four, five, and nine manage to blend that style with the crunching riffs of the first two tracks to form some of the most creative soundscape stuff I've heard in a long time. This is the oddest compliment I've maybe ever given, but Portnoy actually manages to sound like a drum machine with a gear loose in a lot of places. It makes you kinda shake your head and go "Wait, a human played that?". Actually, MP's work in general does that, but it really stands out here. Track eight is the only one that doesn't quite hook me... it's haunting, beautiful, and bassist Sean Malone (Gordian Knot), who contributes to the whole disc, really stands out well here... but it just sounds a bit too much like a video game soundtrack. It's just that one track, though. The rest of the disc sounds like it ought to be the soundtrack for The Matrix Reloaded (that's sadly perhaps the best description I can give of their sound).

Track seven seems to be the one concession to fans of classic prog rock, but that's only due to the length of the song. Clocking in at ten minutes, it's the longest song on the disc, and opens up some of the extended riffs a bit, but even so it's contained, without a huge guitar solo or anything outrageous. It just seemed more like there wasn't a good place to split the track into two. Guest vocalist Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree) puts down a solid lead on this song, and the result is a pretty solid tune. Just a bit different from the rest of the disc, even the weird number eight.

But I've saved the best for last. Our reward after 45 minutes is the absolutely brilliant track ten, Standby (looks like rain). Matheos plays a beautiful acoustic, Portnoy puts in just the right rhythm, and Moore sings a great song, with some cool noises for texture. He puts a cool sample from... God knows where into the middle of the song, and closes out with the brief chorus. Clocks in at two minutes. It's so good that you want a LOT more of the vibe. But the cool thing is that the song is exactly the right length. All it does for me is make me want to start the disc over again. The final two lines:

From this far away, it kinda looks like rain
Get back inside, it's coming down

Time for me to go press play again. I highly recommend this disc - if anything I've written has intrigued you, go get it. It'll be worth your while. The lone exception is my kid sis - your copy is here on my table, kid. I'm out, peace.

02/24/03