Like many of my generation, I first heard the crazed genius of Thomas Dolby with the song "She Blinded Me With Science." Something about the synthesizer tracks, the mad scientist, and the story of love blooming with unnoticed laboratory assistant Miss Sakamoto took on a life of its own.
Over the last three decades, I learned to appreciate many other Dolby songs. From the crazed beats of "Hyperactive!" and its tale of a kid wired to a machine so he'd stop spouting "junk," to the calmer strains of "Budapest By Blimp" and "Wind Power" speaking eloquently about letting go and drifting, these are songs in the unending soundtrack of my mind. The strings binding these varied adventures in musical space inevitably come down to telling stories mixed with infectious beats, synthesizers, and harmonies.
So did you ever wonder what happened to Dolby since he disappeared from the radio waves in the 1990s? I certainly have.
It turns out that the best place to hide is in plain sight. I think he was always a bit of a geek, tinkering with his synthesizers. In the early 1990s he founded Beatnik, Inc. and co-invented the polyphonic ring tone. Then in 2001, he became the Musical Director for the TED Conference. As a fan of the many amazing TED talks available online, I'm not surprised that he would find his way to working with other brilliant people in many fields.
And now after a prolonged break—nearly 20 years—Dolby is readying a new album. As an opening salvo, he's releasing a three-song EP to provide a taste of what's to come. Collaborating with Dolby is Eddi Reader's soaring voice, offering some great duet counterpoints to Dolby's distinct voice.
The Oceanea EP offers three songs: "Oceanea," "Simone," and "To The Life Boats." After listening to Retrospectacle recently and then listening to the Oceanea EP, I was stunned because it seems like no time has passed. Where other artists may try to come back after a prolonged absence from performing and not sound that great, Dolby hasn't dropped a beat.
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