Yet a Different Formula...

I was making a mix CD yesterday, and originally I had planned for the final track to be something drone oriented and a bit lengthy, however that changed when I was going through possible options. I ran across the album Formula by O.L.D. (Old Lady Drivers), which I hadn't listened to for a couple years at least. However I immediately knew then that I was going to use "Last Look" as the final track for the mix. Why? I really don't know or have a good reason as to why other than it fit well and I remember listening to the song an outrageous amount times when I was younger.

For those that might not know, O.L.D. was the ever changing experimental project of James Plotkin, a name that I am sure is fairly familiar among most, especially those who are fans of experimental or electronic music. What originally started as a death metal/grindcore outfit on their debut self-titled album, eventually ended on a completely different note that was Formula. Each album carried a different sound, extending and branching the original sound past any sort of present boundaries there might be. As much as I like the albums Lo Flux Tube and the Self-Titled, I've found myself coming back to Formula more often than not due to it being an incredibly captivating listen.

Being released in 1995, I can imagine how this probably didn't sit well with many older fans and overall probably didn't really fit well among various Earache acts at the time. You often hear the phrase "ahead of its time", and sometimes those statements are true, however with Formula there is no doubt in my mind that this was ahead of its time. Moving even further from conventional metal, Formula is an album heavy on keyboards and harmonics. Focused more so on ambient loops, droning melodies, and some impressive textural guitar work from Plotkin himself. The end result is something that has a certain beauty to it while maintaining a bit of abrasiveness and an underlying darkness that could be found on older releases, as displayed on tracks like "Devolve" and "Thug".

O.L.D. - Last Look [MP3]
O.L.D. - Thug [MP3]

It's sad to see an album like this to be out of print since really I think it deserves a bit more recognition in shaping the electronic/dub genre. However, you'll be cast off to scour used record bins and all the other online sources for this one.

James Plotkin has since went on to do numerous projects and collaborations since O.L.D. came to an end, the most recognizable of them being Khanate, which contains former O.L.D. vocalist Alan Dubin and Stephen O' Malley of Sunn O))), Burning Witch, and Thorrs Hammer fame.