No More Hairdos, or Heroes: The Outer Rim’s Surface Past Reflection (Review)

If you dig way back into the annals of OSV, you’ll find a review of The Outer Rim’s self-titled debut album. For the promotion of the album and the band, the four members took a photo together in the woods, and I noted how distinct each of the member’s hairstyles were.

Well, gone is the emphasis and hairdos, and in fact, gone are saxophone player Norihiko Hibino and piano player Hakui Kim. We mentioned a year ago that the group had relaunched with new members Gustavo Anacleto on sax and Frederic Viennot on keys, and even linked you to some new performances by the group which appear here on this album.

So, how does the band’s second effort fare? Find out in our review after the jump.

In the title of this post, I mention no more hairdos, but also No More Heroes. The group’s debut album featured not only an arrangement of the No More Heroes main theme, but also vocal drama (in English!) detailing what happened to some of the game’s characters in the distant future. This was done to pique the interest of game music fans and turn them on to The Outer Rim, but now that we’re all hooked junkies looking for our next fix, Jeff Curry has dropped the ties to No More Heroes or any other game franchise (due to lack of time, it seems).

The album features seven tracks. That doesn’t seem like a lot, right? Well, the seven tracks span almost 50 minutes of music, and they cover quite a variety of sounds.

What I find particularly interesting with this album is the introduction of the synthesizer. Whereas Hakui Kim mainly performed on piano, Viennot takes up synths (and organ!) as well, bringing an edgier electronic sound to the group and creating something entirely new and different, kind of similar to how The OneUps reinvented themselves with the addition of heavy synths for Intergalactic Redux.

The album opens with “Another Rant.” The title is perfect for the 9-minute long track that calls out above an indiscernible radio speech. After a moody introductory build-up, it’s on to the addictive jazz stylings of the group, but with added electronic accents and supporting synth work that give the track a spacey vibe not too unlike Raystorm, which also effectively combined electronic and jazz elements.

“New” gets it groove on with jazz organ, a snazzy sax lead, and funky bass and percussion that will have you bopping your head. The series of solos on bass, sax, and organ are all fantastic. “Island Body” is the easiest going track on the album, flowing along with its rich piano chord backing and whimsical sax melody. It provides a much needed vacation from some of the heavier jazz elements found elsewhere on the album.

Of note is the fact that “Sanctuary” from the group’s debut album reappears here. While the original was a pretty upbeat track, the piano here is swapped for some jazzy Rhodes, and of course there are synth elements aplenty. The track is lengthier to allow for some solos, which include a drum solo, so watch out for that!

“Onions” and “Tropos” are my two favorite tracks here. The former gets its disco vibe on with a dancey bass line and an incredibly playful swing in the sax. Even though it’s nearly five minutes long, it’s the shortest track on the album, and will leave you wanting more. “Tropos,” on the other hand, is the final track on the album, opening with a desolate soundscape with pads and overdriven Rhodes. It eventually picks up with a dirty, grungy kind of sound with some deep funky bass and defiant sax lines, closing out the album with a bang.

Overall, I’m a fan of The Outer Rim’s new sound. Yeah, it would have been great to hear some more videogame music tie-ins, but as a standalone effort, I can’t really find anything to complain about on Surface Past Reflection. Now, is the album better than their debut? I’d argue that while some of the tracks from the first album are more memorable (“A False Sense of…” is easily the group’s best track), I think Surface Past Reflection has more character. It’s edgier, darker, and it feels more alive. I’m certainly looking forward to more, and hope that Jeff Curry and the band use the time between now and their next album to secure rights to perform and arrange some game tracks, but even if they don’t, I won’t mind all that much.

The album is available in a physical format from CD Baby as well as iTunes and CD Baby in digital formats. The physical release comes in a simple single-fold digipak case with a single (grainy) shot of the group along with performer credits. It isn’t much to get excited about, but it’s great that a physical release is available.

Let us know what you think of the new The Outer Rim. Do you particularly miss the videogame music tie-ins, or feel they’re an unnecessary gimmick for such a talented group of musicians?