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Riff, vamp, timbral fractures, lyrical tension, splintered harmonics, and a constant, seductive sense of groove permeate this jazz album, opening up a door onto a brave new future for a free jazz with soul -- Spooky has exceeded all expectations here.
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While the results may not break down conventions, it does provide a heaping helping of interesting music.
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Alternative PressA cohesive, 100-percent successful record. [Oct 2002, p.95]
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Given the talent on hand it would take some horrible disaster to sink "Optometry," but the combo actually bests expectations.
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Entertainment WeeklyMorphs subtly between hip-hop abstraction and unalloyed free-improv exploration. [Listen 2 This supplement, Aug 2002, p.23]
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MixerNot for the masses, but a treat for those turned on by the erratic tendencies of free jazz. [Sep 2002, p.75]
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After the initial bustle of a few extremely strong tracks, Optometry wanders blindly for far too long.
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It sounds as if every note, every beat, has been cut apart from the others, examined, modified, and then carefully placed back into the mix. It can be unsettling; also compelling.
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ResonanceOptometry will go down as the album that DJ Spooky nailed. [#36, p.52]
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Rolling StoneAt turns pensive and frenetic but always richly textured. [17 Oct 2002, p.72]
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Optometry's highlights throw expectation to the wind. They're more than jazz, more than hip-hop, more than whatever the hell "illbient" actually is.
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An exercise in electronic-jazz fusion that stays faithful to its premise without being enslaved by it.
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The WireOptometry is a success in terms of both sound and vision. [#221, p.53]
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UrbA complex, avant-garde amalgamation of styles for only the most adventurous ears. [Aug 2002, p.116]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 2 out of 2
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Mixed: 0 out of 2
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Negative: 0 out of 2
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PaulG.Jul 24, 2002A killer transition for That Subliminal Kid from a dubwise to a jazzy illbient work.