“Pray to the Holy Ghost” by OKTAVISION, a mesmerizing sonic journey

Album Review: “Pray to the Holy Ghost” by OKTAVISION
Written By: Dan Eachus

OKTAVISION’s latest album, “Pray to the Holy Ghost,” is a mesmerizing sonic journey that defies conventional genre boundaries. With a unique blend of synthesizers, folk vocals, and experimental songwriting, OKTAVISION has crafted an album that pushes the boundaries of electronic music while maintaining a sense of familiarity and accessibility. Throughout the album’s five tracks, listeners are taken on a captivating musical odyssey that explores themes of spirituality, introspection, and human connection.

The album opens with “Ode to Acid” follows, with its pulsating bassline and hypnotic rhythms that immediately sets the tone for the rest of the record. The track’s title is a nod to the acid house genre, but OKTAVISION takes the sound in a decidedly different direction, infusing it with elements of folk and shoegaze to create something entirely new. The result is a track that is both danceable and introspective, inviting listeners to lose themselves in its swirling melodies and driving beat.

“Pray to the Holy Ghost”, the titular track of the album, really sets in stone where OKTAVISION is going to take you with the rest of the album. Trippy, glitchy, modular synths backed by 90’s style drum kits combined with tuned and dialed in vocals with a powerful, positive message really brings the listener in touch with a more ethereal side of themselves. A delightfully wonderful track that stands alone as the album’s single, let alone the title track. “Pray to the Holy Ghost” will have you “praying” for more from OKTAVISION.

“Findings”, their new single, takes the listener on a more introspective journey, with its atmospheric synths and sparse instrumentation creating a sense of space and solitude. The vocals, both natural and vocoded, float ethereally above the music, inviting listeners to contemplate the mysteries of the universe. It’s a track that rewards repeated listens, revealing new layers of complexity with each play. It’s a very trance type song inspired from Tangerine Dream, in the ending section the soprano vocals are sung by none other than Maria Callas!

“If You Wanna Play” is perhaps the album’s most experimental track, with its distorted vocals and glitchy percussion creating a sense of disorientation. Yet beneath the surface chaos lies a hauntingly beautiful melody, reminiscent of classic folk ballads. It’s a testament to OKTAVISION’s skill as both composers and producers that they are able to seamlessly blend such disparate elements into a cohesive whole.

Up next is “Set the Mission,” a sprawling epic that serves as a fitting conclusion to the musical journey that precedes it. The track’s intricate rhythms and soaring melodies build to a cathartic climax, leaving the listener with a sense of awe and wonder. It’s a testament to OKTAVISION’s skill as composers that they are able to evoke such powerful emotions with their music, transcending language and cultural barriers in the process.

The album finishes with “Heavenly Music Corporation”, a chilled out conclusion to the more upbeat album. Almost ambient, this track is a soothing end to the overall masterpiece created by OKTAVISION utilizing their harmonic, yet dreamy vocals combined with warm analog synthesizers to take the listeners to a drift away journey as their ears are treated to a wonderful end to “Pray to the Holy Ghost”.

In conclusion, “Pray to the Holy Ghost” is a stunning achievement that solidifies OKTAVISION’s status as one of the most innovative acts in contemporary electronic music. By combining synthesizers with folk vocals in such a seamless and inventive way, they have created a truly unique listening experience that is both captivating and thought-provoking. Whether you’re a fan of electronic music, folk music, or anything in between, this album is sure to leave a lasting impression. OKTAVISION’s ability to create an amazing sonic atmosphere is truly unparalleled, and “Pray to the Holy Ghost” is a testament to their boundless creativity and talent.

Link to the album: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5pDj5dhuH3SWPCBXICTXvV

Dan Eachus is the President and co-owner of RetroSynth Lazersteel Records, with his own musical projects in the band Neutron Dreams and his solo project DMME.