"We are being watched". This is the theme for
the debut album from Germany's Osta Love. I have to admit that it is a theme to
which I can't help but relate. The inspired cover art of the figure covered in
red will certainly stay with you throughout this album. This three-piece band
has crafted an album full of fear and insecurity, but also of release and
freedom. It's quite an experience.
Osta Love plays a slower, atmospheric style of
prog rock. They mix psychedelic Floydian ambiance with the steeled guitars of
Porcupine Tree, subtle drums, and a good dose of their own ideas. Not only is it
enjoyable, but "Good Morning Dystopia" is also an album that will grow and grow
on the listener. Full of feeling, dark atmosphere, and a subtle outrage, this
album matches its style to its message incredibly well. In fact, neither would
have been as effective without the other. In a good call, the vocals are also
subtle, light, and even a little unfeeling. You see, "Good Morning Dystopia"
purveys its feeling through the dark/light and hardened/smooth textures it
contains. The vocals, then, seem to act like a counterpoint. The unfeeling style
of singing only accentuates the message of surveillance and discomfort with this
modern world.
This album starts out with a wonderfully eerie
"Prologue", and features not one poor track. In the first half, "Alienation" and
"Subway" are both standouts. However, this album really wowed me when it reached
"The Guards". The last four tracks, then are perfectly placed, diverse, and
incredibly well-written. "The Guards" is a guitar-driven spectacle while
"Alaska" is a soft, key-driven ballad that ends in a great instrumental. Then, a
psychedelic trip is found in "Shine", and a perfect ending note is "Epilogue".
There is such a progression from track to track that you will almost be caught
up in it and not realize that there are four tracks here.
While the album centers around the discomfort
and insecurity of living in this world, the album ends on a good note. Finding
that place of privacy and comfort is an important task, and it will truly allow
you to shine. The album, then, is not all dark or brooding, but, again, features
great progression of music and ideas.
So, I fully recommend this journey. Osta Love
has many great ideas, and an awesome foundation on which to build. To say that I
am impressed is an understatement. Brooding and light, atmospheric and grounded,
"Good Morning Dystopia" is a fantastic start to Osta Love's career.
