Let it not be said that The Oscillation do little to live up to their name. The first thing that hits the ears is a wavering and undulating chord that snakes its way out of the speakers with all the hypnotic grace of smoke curling and snaking away from a smouldering hookah pipe. It’s a nice touch and one of many that sets The Oscillation apart from many of the bands that are now breaking through on the back of psychedelic wave that’s threatening to turn into a mind-melting tsunami.
As evidenced by opener tracks ‘Corrider (Part 1)’ and ‘Corrider (Part 2)’, The Oscillation is a band that seduces with a false sense of security. Dampened chords and strict metronomic rhythms soon give way to cosmic explorations but what gives The Oscillation a true sense of identity is the way they manage to subvert and twist psychedelia into something that’s wholly their own. While most explorers of time and space anchor their excursions to standard song structures before blasting off into unexplored territories, The Oscillation are already out there. Not for them the launch pad of conventionality, The Oscillation grab the listener by the lapels and plunge them straight into a miasma of sonic misbehaviour.
What also counts in The Oscillation’s favour is how much to the fore the rhythm section of bassist Tom Relleen and drummer Valentina Magaletti is. Their roles aren’t confined to showing off to the guitar and pedal talents of Demian Castellanos by remaining in the background. Instead, their solid work is fused with the unholy and demented noises coaxed by the guitarist. The Middle Eastern inflections of ‘Descent’ wouldn’t be anywhere near as strong would it not be for treated drums that pan across the sound spectrum and a bass that positively throbs, probably no more so than on ‘No Place To Go’.
Castellanos’ vocals are smeared in reverb throughout and the effect isn’t unlike being privvy some kind of ritualistic ceremony. Indeed, closing epic ‘Out Of Touch’ would probably make the perfect musical accompaniment for your next S&M session alongside burning candles, a variety of painful looking toys and boots of shiny, shiny leather.
By turns seductive, mysterious and, on occasion, deliciously menacing, From Tomorrow is an album that sees The Oscillation move convincingly from contenders into serious players. Praise the Lord and pass the blotting paper.
