Chicago – Experimental ambient electronic artist Daniel Lopatin, better known as his recording name Oneohtrix Point Never, is back with his Warp Records debut, “R Plus Seven”, an album of instrumental atmospheres that would go great with its own computer screensaver visualizations. Two years removed after his album “Replica”, an excellent ode to early 90’s shoegaze infused with luscious keyboard textures, and fresh off of providing the score to this summer’s Sofia Coppola flick “The Bling Ring”, Daniel returns this time around with an offering of stream of consciousness compositions that switch tempo or emotion just when you start to feel attached to a specific portion of a track.

“R Plus Seven” opens with the grand “Boring Angel”, beginning with a stretched out church organ chord that plays out like someone’s funeral until an arsenal of vibrant synthesizers breathe life and energy before descending back into a tranquil standstill. “Boring Angel” floats into “Americans”, a carousel of instrumentation flowing with ripples of bell chimes, hiccups of phaser effects, vocal samples that crackle like popcorn in the microwave, and that’s just the first half of the track. There’s really no point in monitoring the track listing or identifying the song titles, Daniel’s intentions are for you to pop in your headphones and lie down in a field gazing skyward.

As the album progresses, the tracks slowly become more focused and organized while maintaining a sense of spur of the moment energy. “Inside World” is an arrangement of abrupt synth glitches that melt into an array of strings and walls of drone, all while teetering on the verge of sounding like a cat stepping over a keyboard. The opening notes of “Zebra” could easily be constructed into a catchy pop charting tune, but it serves as a mere tease into an almost seven minute improvisational jam of fluttering xylophones and jazzy horns. Daniel is hell bent on keeping the listener on their toes, swerving from one pattern to the next.

What keeps your attention on “R Plus Seven” is the blender of emotions the music engages into your ears. There’s no 808s or drum pads, forcing you to focus on the tender soundscapes while the thought of dancing becomes the last thing on the mind. While “Replica” may have been a tad more laid back and assessable with a clear intention, “R Plus Seven” is a record that can provide a different experience through every listen, depending on mood or environment.

Everything accumulates to the album closer “Chrome Country”, a track that hints at Daniel’s pop and compositional influences, resulting in a cinematic Fantasia-esque conclusion that recycles back to the church organ introduction as an outro. When completed, you’ll either need an immediate repeat listen or an indefinite break to truly take in what the hell you just listened to. But the overall beauty of the album is reason enough to accept extended invitations from Oneohtrix Point Never, an artist to continue to keep your eye on.   

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