Emmett O.C. 9 From the Warped Mind LP
First solo project from Emmett O’Connor (ARCHIE AND THE BUNKERS, MK ULTRAS) out of Cleveland. Inside this warped mind, we find bedroom synth punk complete with drum machine, warbling lead lines, and earnest, droning vocals, like on “Pieces of My Life” where O’Connor croons “Like a shining light from up above / She came down and she gave me her love.” “Burger King From My Dreams” gets a little sillier, and brings to mind the Technics organ tone of WESLEY WILLIS, with shades of “Rock n Roll McDonalds” to boot. On “The Air Conditioning is Making Me Sick” he gets a little heavier, channeling some BABY TYLER or maybe ALIEN NOSEJOB with a mock seriousness. “Curtain Call” plays that wobbly organ again, with some doo wop in place of the drum machine, which maybe leads us to his ’50s rocker/James Dean influence displayed on the album cover? Layer all these things together, and I find myself thrown for a complete loop. Yet here I am, enjoying 9 From the Warped Mind quite a darn bit.