R.I.Y.L. Review: Rhyming Kinks with Pink Floyd, Exchanging Letters of ELO for XTCSnowglobe's Oxycotin

Music review magazines, CD stores, and promoters often use R.I.Y.L. (“Recommended If You Like”) suggestions to help potential listeners make a pre-connection to what they’ll find inside the jewel case. Periodically, Music Spectrum will review one such R.I.Y.L.


R.I.Y.L.: the Kinks and ELO

You say Kinks; I’ll rhyme your comparison and say Pink Floyd. On Snowglobe’s Oxycotin, I hear some of those late 60’s pop harmonies of the Kinks, but “At Times a Nightmare” and “Sweet Dreams” sound like outtakes from Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

At times, I hear the vocal qualities of ELO (Electric Light Orchestra), but on “Rainbow,” I hear a comparison to another band with a three-letter name: XTC. There’s the bouncy, Beatlesque pop, that feels like bubblegum but with an underpinning of earnest lyrical commentary on the world.

Oxycotin is “the first of a series of solo-directed projects by the members of Snowglobe,” and in this case, it’s Brad Postlethwaite’s baby. The way he uses layers of orchestration and group-style singing actually brings a different RIYL to mind, one not mentioned in the press release: Sufjan Stevens.

“Intro to Dry” has all of the horns and orchestral drum section build up like something from Stevens’ Illinois. “Cellos” appropriately enough recalls Stevens’ use of strings. Elsewhere those elements might also bring Polyphonic Spree to mind.

With that all said about what Snowglobe’s Oxycotin sounds like, slip this disc in for an enjoyable eclectic experience. As Postlethwaite serenades you with a warbling saw on “Simple Song,” you’ll be transported to Beatles (white album) land with a dose of indie folk hominess.

Thanks to Snowglobe, Make Shift Music, and Team Clermont for the review CD.