OUTER LIMITS RECORDINGS

SINGLES, DEMOS AND RARITIES (2007-2010) (Weird World)

15/20

Outer Limits Recordings is the now defunct alter-ego of the often-AWOL Sam Mehran, formerly of Test Icicles. If you’re thinking the timing of this release is slightly odd, you’d probably be right, Outer Limits’ releases whilst still operational made little impact. But one play of this record and you’ll excuse an explanation. With stunningly psychedelic, lo-fi power-pop tracks like Liberty, Digital Girls and Julie, you can’t help but be sucked in by the delirious charm of Mehran’s hook- heavy songwriting. It’s Ariel Pink on (more) acid, plunged into a vat of aqueous digital effects and launched into space. Indeed, song titles like Mind Control, I’m an Alien, and WOTM (Walking on the Moon) paint a suitably surreal picture to describe the workings at hand, while Sugar Pie is like a glittery, hallucinogenic introduction to TV’s Fun House. The second half of this (admittedly exhausting) compilation stumbles somewhat, as it loses much of the flamboyance of the first half, as well as falling victim to the unavoidably disjointed nature of a compilation, though the occasional ‘80s sci-fi instrumental partially makes up for this. But overall the richness of the music on show is more than enough to make us mourn this sadly expired project.

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Words: James Balmont