Dig deep enough into any keyboard or synthesizer, and you will find sounds with names like “metal” or “crystal vibes” or “glass.” autOaudiO’s “Ocean City” builds its nest with these deep dives into preset patches.
Though bird calls and sitar-inspired keyboard drones open their latest Ball of Wax contribution, this song isn’t wasting away in Margaritaville or getting buzzed at the Copacabana. Instead, using layers of field recordings, cymbal-less percussion samples, and slow decaying keyboard tones, they create a cold, smooth surface to slide across.
I mean this in the best possible way – “Ocean City” sounds less like an ocean and more like a frozen pond.
Though the song is instrumental, autOaudiO’s icy synth provides a strong melodic presence. The notes ending each melodic phrase blend into the next, with a different sound picking up the baton and contributing to the texture, calling to mind Get Lost era Magnetic Fields. Anchoring these flits of cascading melody and random, though persistent, bird calls is a punchy synth bass. Though it never grooves, it centers the song by providing context for the melody — helping the listener keep their skates on the ice.
autOaudiO is either a poppy experimental band or an experimental pop band. Either way, every time I listen to “Ocean City,” I find myself in a beautifully still, ‘80s era Windham Hill album cover. I see a swarm of winter birds gathered on a snow-covered branch. They’re singing to a small, frozen body of water while I’m lacing up my skates.
Oh, I’m just popping up again in my new role as background-bestower: Amazingly, there are no presets or keyboard sounds on this track at all. According to the artist, “All the sounds were recorded at the grounds or along the trail to the beach. Most of the sounds are from birds. Though, a clip of croaking frogs were used to make a granular bass synth, and the parking lot porta potty offered up some plastic percussion.” Damn.
THIS is why some of us listen to music!