In music, it seems as though there is a fine line between “”listenability”” and eccentricity. And Oneida might have gone too far in the direction of eccentricity in their latest release Happy New Year.
What’s for sure is, this band is no Fall Out Boy. Actually they might just be the opposite of Fall Out Boy or any pop-rock band. You won’t be singing to any catchy Oneida songs, as their songs are not really sing-able or catchy, but are more musically interesting then some Fall Out Boy sing-along song.
The band starts out with a Gregorian chant-like first track with “”Distress,”” and changes it up throughout the CD, from electronic songs like “”Happy New Year,”” to more of a guitar-and-drum-rock sound in “”The Adversary,”” one of the best on the album. On this track, the same chord progression stays consistent throughout almost the entire song, (repetition is something the band is known for.)
Lowdown
Oneida
Happy New Year
Jagjaguwar/Brah
7/10
This band is audacious and bold in that you can just sit back and be fascinated by its unconventional sound. But in terms of how often you will want to listen to it, well, doing this CD review was enough for me.