Midnight Special
10mm Omega, 2021
8/10
An underground label from North Carolina, the 10mm Omega Recordings camp brings us a diverse set of songs from their roster, where 6 artists give us a taste of the quality music the label has been releasing for over 20 years.
Occam’s Portal starts the listen with the dreamy, atmospheric “Peace And Love”, where soulful and playful hip-hop is met with a mesmerizing climate, and Vonfunkhauser’s “Player” follows with a beat friendly and busy display of electro-pop amid a club friendly demeanor.
Halfway through, “Wonder Why”, by The Mystery Plan, brings warm keys and bouncy guitar work to some of the best singing on the album as soaring female vocals align with expressive male pipes, while Winfield’s “Simple Things” enters darker territory with its lush and poetic duet that’s as stylish as it is memorable.
Near to the end, Heart Of A Ghost remixes Vonfunkhauser’s “Moth To The Flame” with a dance inspired pulse of layered ideas, and Latino Chrome’s “Juned (Version 2)” exits the listen calm and hazy, as much subdued melody enters the ethereal finish.
A label that’s as likely to release country and reggae as it is indie-rock or hip-hop, there’s historically been much great music coming out of the Carolinas, and here we’re treated to a bit more, and I doubt anyone’s going to have a problem with that.
Travels well with: Magdalene Baker- Found Objects; Welcome Center- Talk Talk Talk