Art Feynman – Blast Off Through the Wicker

Californian musician Art Feynman is on a mission. He wants to try to find life in the lifeless, and discover what it actually means to be alive. That goes some way to explaining why his debut album Blast Off Through The Wicker is filled to the brim with sounds from across the globe, like an attempt to capture the musical life-force of the world in ten tracks. It’s a collection where he can seemingly effortlessly combine a krautrock pulse with Nigerian highlife vibes on the extended wig-out Feeling Good About Feeling Good, harness Afrobeat rhythms alongside squalling guitar solos on Can’t Stand It and even show off a uniquely slanted view on modern R'n'B with opener Eternity in Pictures.

Wrapped up in a charming, lo-fi sheen, when the tracks really take off and soar with propulsive, organic beats, it can be a thoroughly enjoyable trip through a host of genres. At times though, the melodies can meander, either feeling drawn out and plodding or, very occasionally, akin to slightly incomplete skits. Win Win, for instance, is a nice change of pace, propelled purely by Art’s voice and guitar, but it ends abruptly and unceremoniously.

Blast Off Through The Wicker doesn’t always reach stratospheric heights, but some of its psychedelic freak-outs suggest that Art Feynman is still on an intriguing musical course.

Listen to: Feeling Good About Feeling Good