Gödel Codex, The: Oak

The Gödel Codex is an experimental band based out of Brussels, Belgium led by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Michel Delville. Delville is involved in a number of other projects including The Wrong Object, douBt, Ensemble Mosae and Machine Mass.

The band’s new album titled Oak came out earlier this year on Off Records in conjunction with our friends at Moonjune. Joining Delville (guitar, Roland, GR09, loops, electronics, lead vocals on tracks 2, 3, 4 and 7) are Antoine Guenet (keyboards, synths, acoustic piano, electronics, lead vocals on tracks 6 and 8) and Etienne Plumer (drums, e-percussion, glockenspiel, trumpet, electronics, samples). Joining the trio is guest musician Christophe Bailleau (electronics and samples on tracks 3, 5, 9 and 10).

This is one of those albums that is difficult to get your head around but when you do the payoff is high as this is some very cool music. A bit of jazz and pop masked by futuristic electronics and spaced out trippiness, these are artists that know no bounds in their creative ingenuity. The disc starts with the title track and its huge synthesized bass and drum beat. The synths are slightly distorted creating a cool sounding effect amidst a wall of sound where lots of interesting things are happening including some subtle trumpet explorations. You really have to listen carefully to get the full effect. The next track “The Needle’s Eye� channels a poppier vibe but with psychedelic and electronic overtones. Some excellent sound manipulations in this one, something the band are quite adept at. Delville’s vocals are melodic, dreamy and easy to listen to. With “One Last Sound� the beginning pace is very slow with only piano notes having a slight dissonance but really quite lovely. Eventually the vocals start, very dreamy and melodic but still somber leading to a complete change of pace as the music gets faster and heavier, the guitars adding that extra bit of texture. More shifting tempos and electronic beats ensue ensuring boredom will never set in. A dream filled ending coda brings a fitting conclusion to what is a great track. There are many dramatic highlights throughout the disc that should appeal to many a prog fan.

The Gödel Codex is certainly a band to watch for in the coming months. I suspect this one might feature prominently on many end of the year ‘best of’ lists.

Track Listing:
1. Oak (1:43)
2. The Needle’s Eye (2:32)
3. Granules (6:56)
4. One Last Sound (4:58)
5. Matisse (4:02)
6. Stand or Fall (3:54)
7. Bells (3:48)
8. Can It Be (5:30)
9. Oak- live reprise (4:18)
10. Lux 4 (5:52)

Added: May 2nd 2019
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Label's Official Site
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Language: english

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