A stylistically eclectic sci-fi rock opera, The Vibe Operator is a compelling new album from NYC-based artist mike by name. A creative tour-de-force who wrote every song and performed every instrument on the release, mike by name excels in both a consistently hooky charisma and consuming narrative — chronicling the story of a rock star who departs to deep space, fulfilling “his dream of ego-filled isolation.”
The futuristic concepts arise in the flash-forward to 1200 years in the future, where humanity’s consciousness exists in a singular collective hive, rather than separate bodies. Music ultimately serves as a source of perseverance, as a renegade android rallies others to fight against an “oppressive, un-funky, and anti-human,” antagonist in The Collective.
A clear funk-forward invigoration shows throughout, showing inspirations such as Prince and James Brown, crossed with the confident rock shades of Led Zeppelin and Lenny Kravitz. An all-out adoration of funk-ready rock shows clearly in “Feed My Dreams With Funk,” moving from bass-y reverberations in the verses to growling guitar-laden buzzing. “Danger” is exemplary of the project’s more rock-heavy emphasis, sweltering into the title-touting proclamation — “danger, inside the loaded mind,” — amidst distorted guitar ardency.
The album consistently compels in its wide range — from the acoustic folk beauty of “Spirit in the Head,” which ascends into a hauntingly twangy ascension past mid-point, to the mellow charm of finale “Every Soul Is a Good Soul,” which plays aptly in the theme, of remembering humanity’s tendency for good even in an age where consciousness is contained in something other than the body. The Vibe Operator is a stellar melodic and thematic success from mike by name.
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“The Vibe Operator” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
