OOOAAARDVARK - "The Alpha Compound" (2010) [Mars/Antarctica Recording Co.]

The reviewing gods worked against us at The Inarguable when it came to getting this release done. Having received a copy in the mail (all the way from Australia!) back in October, a combination of forgetfulness on behalf of some former writers and an intense schoolwork schedule on my part made this album sort of push its way to the very back of the review pile (oops *sadface*). Now that school is pretty much out of the way and free time has made its way back into my life, I figure the best course of action should be to finally review this album, so here's to you, Joel. Sorry for making you wait months upon months for this! :/

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, OOOAAARDVARK (pronounced 'triple owe aardvark') is a 4-piece, female-lead progressive rock band. No, not like your standard Porcupine Tree/King Crimson/Ayreon sort of progressive rock band, instead OOOAAARDVARK brings something different to the table. Under the guise of a groovy, sleazy sort of garage rock band like, oh I don't know, maybe a more talented The White Stripes, OOO draws influence from psychedelic folk band Espers, technical groove metal kings Meshuggah, and, of course, TOOL. To be completely honest, this is probably the most accessible release I've reviewed for this site. It's catchy, it's not too heavy...hell, I wouldn't second guess it if I heard a track off of The Alpha Compound on some random XM radio station. This is just one of those albums where you can really get into it at first listen. I know this (along with Kvelertak's full-length) will be in constant rotation for summer drives with the window down.

So, if you want a fun, rocking album with progressive twists strewn about, I'd say approach this album without hesitation; you'll be bobbing your head in no time. Stream/download the album here, but I'd recommend picking up a physical copy here just for the amazing art book, featuring photography by Georgian artist Sophie Berdzenishvili.


-Jon