Cassette Review: LostOdyssey "Early Rise EP" (Flossless Audio)

[$5 // Edition of 100 // http://flosslessaudio.bandcamp.com/album/flossy001-lostodyssey-early-rise-ep]

If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times- I have never been to a massage parlor or day spa or anything closely related to them but elements of this music makes me feel like it would be the type of peaceful and relaxing vibe you would find there.    I think we need to establish a name for that particular genre only so I don't have to continue to explain this every time.    For all I know those places could be playing Enya or Mariah Carey but to me it's the type of music I'd put on for some downtime, perhaps to soak in the bathtub if I did such things.

One of the biggest factors I need to point out right away also with this LostOdyssey cassette is that while it is mostly instrumental (There are moments of ah's) it constantly has me under the impression that at any given moment it might bring out some vocals.   That might be mostly because I can hear bands and artists in this who do have vocals but I'm not entirely certain why I like to think of this as being so much of a vocal-tease.

The guitars in here are melodic and have an almost acoustic sound to them.    Through tape manipulation it can skip and there are also other factors such as water drips that can come into play but this is almost entirely just that straight up sound of a rather good indie rock band that I can't quite put my finger on.  

With the piano pieces and at other times as well this does sound like some of the softer songs from the Blue October catalog and I do expect at times to hear the vocals as such, but then at other points especially on Side B I can hear what is under the FNL banner.

The question of what this is exactly is not an easy one to answer.    On the surface it could have the makings of any number of other artists which combine ambient sounds with FNL sounds, Stray Theories comes to mind instantly, yet none of the other artists I can think of have that same notion where you think vocals might kick in and they also tend not to have the manipulation of sound either.

Whether you think of LostOdyssey as being a new take on an old-ish idea or an entirely new concept the fact is simply that it is good and not chopped up so much as to lose any of the original source and it is just so wonderful.