Oxygene 8 – “Poetica”
Tower.com Artist Of The Month: Promotional Spot
Written by Phillip Ginn

Oxygene 8

The music is difficult to categorize, or even describe. On one hand, it’s progressive. On the other, it’s New Age. But then you notice a bit of funk, a bit of eeriness, and a bit of pop… all successfully blended together by the duo that comprises the main part of Oxygene 8: Frank D’Angelo, guitarist extraordinaire, and Linda Cushma, goddess of the Chapman Stick. For their most recent album under the Oxygene 8 moniker (there have been a few name changes here and there), they’ve joined forces with Tim Alexander, best known for his work with Primus. The result is raw energy and beauty on record. This is a group deserving of more attention.

Album: “Poetica”

Ethereal, rockin’, and gorgeous, “Poetica” delivers progressive music in a way that will sate the appetite of any prog-rock fan, yet is accessible to any radio-rock fan. Kicking off with a rockin’ tune called “Stand,” the album makes its way through lush songs, funky jams, and into the middle of an odd sound poem that slows the album down to a point where it needs to be picked back up again. And it does just that, but on its own terms – it picks up when the time is right, and when the time comes, it lets the listener know. While each song is great on its own, it’s the experience of “Poetica” that warrants multiple listenings more than anything else.