Album Review: Oxytocin

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If you'd told me that a bunch of developers from Harmonix, the company responsible for Rock Band and the first two Guitar Hero games, were going to make a hip-hop/electronica album, I would have laughed in your face, then gone to see what the internet was saying about it. In fact, that is exactly what I did before running across Oxytocin, a 40 minute continuous mix of hip-hop and electronica tracks from eleven Harmonix developers, including members of That Handsome Devil and BQEZ. The best non-musical part is that it's being released on the internet for free in its entirety.

This may not entirely come as a surprise, but I do not listen to hip-hop, so it's difficult for me to judge this album against others in its genre. However, listening to some of the tracks, I find it hard to put this album into one definitive genre, which is both logical and for the best. Rob Lynch's "Cathode Ray" reminds me very much of Anamanaguchi, whereas "Do It For Me" by Nay brings me back to the happy hardcore heyday in the early 90s. "Subway Tale", crafted by M-Cue and Tarashi, definitely makes me think Gorillaz above anything else. To put it quite simply, even if it is a cliche, this album does have something for everyone. I went in not expecting to like it in the slightest, but I nearly stumbled upon a strange mix of Poe and Jack Off Jill with Ligery and Inner Dialogue's "Perfect", spoken poetry backed by synth and beats. Before I even knew the song was coming to an end, it was transitioning seamlessly into "Blow Away" by Patrick Balthrop, a song that would fit perfectly in a trance club's rotation.

I suppose with the diversity of the musical spectrum already covered, my only other comment would be on the fantastic production of the album. Even with songs that fall under incredibly different genres and styles, the mixing remains consistent and in some cases imperceptible. I suppose that's to be expected in a group with six sound designers and two producers, but it's still very impressive. The people responsible for Oxytocin set a goal to make a project that "wasn't rock based", and with just one listen of the album, it's clear that they met this goal. With all the rock bands Harmonix produces (Bang Camaro and the Sterns, to name two), it's easy to overlook those musicians that don't fall under that heading but still have just as much talent as their conventional counterparts. If Oxytocin is a way to test the waters, I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the website to see what else they've got planned. At any rate, it's obvious that Harmonix can produce more than just quality video games. A

Keep your eye on Oxytocin's homepage to follow news on what's to come and download the album in its entirety. While you're there, check out the individual blogs and Twitters of the members and clear your schedules for a couple of shows in June with all eleven getting together to perform live.