Mike Adams at His Honest Weight – Oscillate Wisely

With a name like MIKE ADAMS AT HIS HONEST WEIGHT, it might make you think twice before listening. We’re here to tell you that that would be an awful decision, because you definitely don’t want to miss out on this one.

It’s kind of difficult to even try and find a place to start when talking about this record. It covers a surplus of musical elements that are each gorgeous in their own way, and it all starts with the first track “Bad Weather”. This one should suck you in almost immediately with it’s inviting introduction, but as you plow through the tracklist, you’ll begin to notice something – you’re in the midst of another unexpectedly solid St. Ives release. This quality collection of songs lasts for about forty minutes from front to back, and each song is just as unique as the last, each having a mind of it’s own free from the other tracks. Spanning from featherweight indie rock to brooding atmospheric dream trips (like “Sunrise”), these ten tracks did a damn good job of leaving me clueless on what to say.

These songs sound thick, heavy and layered for the most part, but they still somehow manage to evoke the feeling that you’re scraping your forehead against the clouds way up in the sky. Every song is as textured, swirling, moving and unique as the last, meaning that this stuff is bound to catch on at some point, so get on it while you still can. No two songs sound alike, and their are surprises around every last turn until the heavenly, gospel-like ending of “You’ll Have Me As Long”. Adams manages to balance the album with smart and intelligent indie rock that sometimes gets noisy, and on the other side comes all the stranger, darker stuff from the left side of the field.

One track certainly worth bringing to your attention is “I Did Not Create This Body”. Creepy, tribal-like drumming creates the feeling you’re huttled around a fire somewhere out in the cold woods, while quivering and icy sound effects go a long way to complement the dark mood. The swirling, sometimes demonic vibes are almost too much to handle, but if there’s one thing to be thrilled about it’s that nothing else even sounds remotely similar to this track, and the way this album continues to surprise is probably what makes it so special.

Nothing I could possibly say at this point would give you quite the same experience as simply listening to the record yourself, so we’ll just let Mike Adams do the talking this time around. Follow this link so you can download and listen yourself, because we really don’t think you should miss out. Just put the needle down and let this thing spin your worries away. With only 200 of these being pressed on vinyl, you should probably snag one before it’s too late!

Bad Weather –

I Don’t Want to Believe in Anything –

Don’t You Blanket When That Happens –

I Did Not Create This Body –

It’s All Been Done, You Said –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Indie Rock, Experimental, Dream Pop
Oscillate Wisely: Tracklist:
1.) Bad Weather
2.) Skeletons in the Cloner
3.) I Don’t Want to Believe in Anything
4.) I’m Not Worried
5.) Sunrise
6.) Don’t You Blanket When That Happens
7.) I Did Not Create This Body
8.) IIIIIII Love a Parade
9.) It’s All Been Done, You Said
10.) You’ll Have Me As Long

Mike Adams on Blogspot
BUY the LP directly from Insound – limited to 200!
This record was co-released with Flannelgraph Records