R Plus Sevenis the sixthstudio albumby Americanelectronic musicianOneohtrix Point Never,released on September 30, 2013, as his debut album onWarp Records.[3]The album's musical palette draws heavily on thesyntheticsounds ofMIDIinstruments, 1980s synth presets, andVSTs.[4]
| R Plus Seven | ||||
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| Released | September 30, 2013 | |||
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| Length | 42:56 | |||
| Label | Warp | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Oneohtrix Point Neverchronology | ||||
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| SinglesfromR Plus Seven | ||||
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R Plus Sevenreceived critical acclaim, and was included on the year-end lists of several music publications. Its release came alongside several collaborations on visual accompaniment withcontemporary artistssuch asJon Rafman,Takeshi Murata,and Nate Boyce.
Background and recording
editDiffering from thesample-based techniques of Lopatin's 2011 albumReplicawhich drew onlo-fiaudio sources such as commercials from the 1980s and 1990s, the recording ofR Plus Seveninstead saw him work extensively with the synthetic sounds ofMIDIinstruments and presets,synth patchesandVSTs.[4]He also incorporated procedural composing methods and spoken word script samples created from a range of texts.[4]It is the first Oneohtrix Point Never record not to feature Lopatin's signatureRoland Juno-60synthesizer.[4]Regarding the sonic palette, he explained:
I like to be manipulated by the sounds I'm using, and then struggle to find some sort of commonality with those things [...] When I play apipe organor have this like Hollywood choir at my disposal, it's going to tap into some kind ofclichématrix of ideas in my mind, and allow me to wrestle with it.[4]
Lopatin would later describe it as a "calm" record influenced by and aiming to musically capture his experience of "domestic bliss",[5]and also confessed to being influenced by the ideas ofobject-oriented ontologyand American contemporary artistTakeshi Murata,specifically "this idea of musical objects – instead of focusing on music, thinking of sounds as these acute choices that are grouped together, that create a sense of place, a cultural sense of contrast [...] a way of giving inanimate objects a kind of secret life."[6]
The cover art is a reproduced still taken from the 1982 experimental filmLe ravissement de Frank N. Steinby Swiss animatorGeorges Schwizgebel.[7]The album title is a reference to the procedural writing technique, "N+7", used by French writing groupOulipo,which involves replacing any noun in a text with the seventh one to follow it in a dictionary.[8]
Composition
editThe sound palette ofR Plus Sevenincorporates a range of synthesized sounds spanning textures from early samplers, clear-sounding presets from the 1980s and 1990s, and modern "realist" virtual instruments found onDAWs.[1]Pitchfork's Mark Richardson said that the album plays with "our collective unconscious ofmusic technology"to make something" strange and otherworldly and, most importantly, rich with feeling. "[1]He stated that "there's a weird kind of innocence in this sound palette," comparing it toJames Ferraro's 2011 albumFar Side Virtualwhich similarly extensively incorporated digital instrumentation, but added that "Lopatin's music doesn't get hung up on irony, even though it's definitely in the mix."[1]Adam Harper ofDummycompared the album to English experimental groupArt of Noise,writing that it "might be what the computer that used to work for the Art of Noise does on its own time, anAIenthusiastically generating art, who once wouldn't admit to preferringmodernismtopostmodernismbut now refuses to be ironic or ashamed of the so-calleduncanny valley."[9]Andy Battaglia ofRolling Stonedescribed the album as being akin to "holy music, even if wholly weird," and compared it to the works of composersPhilip GlassandSteve Reichin terms of rhythm and repetition.[10]Richardson referred to the album as "Fifth World Music", an allusion toJon HassellandBrian Eno'sFourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics,which similarly blended natural imagery with manipulated sound and synthesized sounds.[1]The Skinnywrote that every song is significantly different in structure and timbre, with some songs playing on feelings reminiscent ofcosmicjazz music.[11]AllMusicwrote that "its subversive glossiness suggests that its tracks were made from pop songs that were shattered into shards that are as alluring as they are difficult to piece together."[12]
Tracks like "Americans" and "Inside World" have been described as musically exploring differences betweenthe Realand virtual representations of "realness", using then-exotic "turn-of-the-80s" sounds found on samplers of the time like theFairlight CMIand theE-mu Emulatoras well as other delicate digital sounds to conjure stilted and sterilized imagery of jungles, beaches, forests and home environments.[1]According to David Wolfson ofBeat per Minute,R Plus Sevenexplores themes ofmorphogenesis,procedural composition andcryogenics.[13]Describing the song "Zebra" in particular, Wolfson observed a "lively synth progression in the first part of the song" serving as the refrain for "an exercise in procedural composition", followed by "the claustrophobic ambient space of the second part" serving as "a representation of cryogenics", concluding that "the way the song progresses from section to section, with parts building up before splintering off into something completely new, is entirely morphogenetic in form."[13]
Visual collaborations
editBetween the announcement and the eventual release ofR Plus Seven,Lopatin collaborated with a number of contemporary artists on visual accompaniments to tracks and updates on the official OPN website. The first was an excerpt of "Still Life", released with a video by Nate Boyce, a frequent collaborator with Oneohtrix Point Never's live shows and subsequent director of his music videos.[14]A video for "Problem Areas" by Takeshi Murata[15]followed at the beginning of August alongside an interactive version at pointnever.[16]The second update to the site came from American visual artistJacob Cioccialongside the song "Zebra" at the beginning of September[17]with a final video prior to the release directed byJon Rafmanfor the song "Still Life". Pitchfork described the video in an article dated September 25, 2013, as it being a piece that:
[...] collects bizarre and disturbing low-grade internet footage—images of decrepit computer systems, strange anime art and characters posing for webcams, a fewFurries,and more, bookended by clips of a man who looks like he's about to blast his own brains out.
A final video for "Boring Angel", directed by American digital artist John Michael Boling, appeared in December 2013.[18]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10[19] |
| Metacritic | 81/100[20] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Consequence of Sound |  [21] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[22] |
| Mojo | [23] |
| NME | 6/10[2] |
| Pitchfork | 8.4/10[1] |
| Q | [24] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
| Spin | 8/10[3] |
| XLR8R | 9.5/10[25] |
AtMetacritic,which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 30 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[20]On the album, Heather Phares ofAllMusicwrote: "For the most part, the album showcases Oneohtrix Point Never's restlessness and ambition in flattering ways; if it's equal parts mystifying and beautiful, it's also a puzzle well worth trying to figure out."[12]Sasha Geffen ofConsequence of Soundstated: "R Plus Sevenmight be the first album to crystallize the simultaneous joy and terror inherent in a life of constant connection and constant surveillance. With music that simultaneously unnerves and pleases, Lopatin digs out the ghost in thealgorithm."[21]Mark Richardson ofPitchforknoted the album's conceptual merits but stated that "you don’t listen to this record thinking about theory; it’s beautiful stuff, with chords and tunes and sections you remember," concluding "R Plus Sevendoesn’t have quite the disembodied weirdness ofReplica,but it’s no less accomplished, another intriguing chapter from an artist whose work remains alive with possibility. "[1]
Marty Sartini Garner ofFilteralso compared the album to the artist's previous work: "R Plus Sevenisn’t the masterpiece of technical error that its predecessor was; it’s the dissection of a heart. "[26]Andy Beta ofSpinwrote: "With his first album for Warp, OPN proves his mettle amid labelmates likeAphex TwinandFlying Lotus."[3]Bram E. Gieben ofThe Skinnystated: "A visionary artist at the height of his powers, this is in many ways his most accessible and uplifting work so far," while also adding that "each track contains distinct movements, bearing out the occasional comparisons made between Lopatin's work andclassicalcomposition. "[11]Nevertheless, Louis Pattison ofNMEwas mixed in his assessment of the record: "There are a few moments of elegant sensuality--like the tumbling,androgynousvoices of 'He She'--but by and large it's like one ofJeff Koons' uber-kitschsculptures: gleaming, opulent, but kinda hard to love. "[2]
Accolades
editR Plus Sevenwas on several year-end lists by critics, toppingTiny Mix Tapes's year-end list[27]and ranking at number 43 on the annual pollPazz & JopbyThe Village Voice.[28]
| Publication | Rank | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Year-end | ||
| CMJ | 20 | [29] |
| Consequence of Sound | 16 | [30] |
| Drowned in Sound | 59 | [31] |
| Exclaim!(Dance and Electronic) | 9 | [32] |
| Fact | 34 | [33] |
| Gorilla vs. Bear | 5 | [34] |
| musicOMH | 83 | [35] |
| Pitchfork Media | 24 | [36] |
| The Quietus | 18 | [37] |
| Spin | 23 | [38] |
| Sputnikmusic | 28 | [39] |
| Stereogum | 30 | [40] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | 1 | [27] |
| The Village Voice(Pazz & Jop) | 43 | [28] |
| The Wire | 6 | [41] |
| XLR8R | 3 | [42] |
| 2010–2014 | ||
| Fact | 75 | [43] |
Track listing
editAll music is composed by Daniel Lopatin
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Boring Angel" | 4:16 |
| 2. | "Americans" | 5:17 |
| 3. | "He She" | 1:32 |
| 4. | "Inside World" | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Zebra" | 6:44 |
| 6. | "Along" | 5:23 |
| 7. | "Problem Areas" | 3:06 |
| 8. | "Cryo" | 2:47 |
| 9. | "Still Life" | 4:53 |
| 10. | "Chrome Country" | 5:05 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Gone" | 1:06 |
Personnel
editR Plus Sevenpersonnel, as adapted fromAllMusic.[44]
- Daniel Lopatin– performance, production, art direction
Technical
edit- Paul Corley – production
- Paul Evans – engineering
- Valgeir Sigurðsson– mastering
Artwork and design
edit- Timothy Saccenti – photography
- Robert Beatty– additional artwork, design
- Georges Schwizgebel– cover art
Charts
edit| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (UltratopFlanders)[45] | 111 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[46] | 134 |
| UK Dance Albums(OCC)[47] | 28 |
| UK Independent Albums(OCC)[48] | 37 |
| USTop Dance/Electronic Albums(Billboard)[49] | 11 |
| USHeatseekers Albums(Billboard)[50] | 16 |
References
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- ^abcBeta, Andy (October 2, 2013)."Oneohtrix Point Never and Nicolas Jaar's Darkside Serve Up Noirish, Sensuous Hypnosis".Spin.RetrievedOctober 4,2013.
- ^abcdeFinlayson, Angus."Oneohtrix Point Never: Inside World".Resident Advisor.Retrieved23 July2016.
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- ^abWolfson, David (November 18, 2013)."Album Review: Oneohtrix Point Never – R Plus Seven".Beats per Minute.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
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