Jean Michel Jarre is going a bit more experimental in his old age and for some that's great; an electronic maestro flexing his skills to push boundaries. However, for others it's a fear that he's gone up his own backside for the sake of 'art' and is a bit more generic in this Sound Cloud age.
His last few albums have been interesting with revisits to old themes (Oxygene 3 and Equinoxe Infinity), collaborations (Electronica 1 and 2), his dalliance back into his musique concrète roots (Amazonia) and his embracing of VR with his 'live' VR show (Welcome to the Other Side: Live at Notre Dame).
With his latest album he leans into the latter two genres, mixing his musique concrète roots with VR. The concept here is of a binaural VR album where the music surrounds you. I've experienced synesthesia through the Bjork exhibition and through playing videogames like Tetris Effect and Rez Infinite and I have to say, the effect is electrifying. I don't have access to the Oxymore VR experience so I'm just listening to the binaural album with my Sennheiser PX200 headphones.... Hardly the optimal experience, I'm sure, but it's all I have so I'll judge the album on this, the lesser experience.
Oxymore was a much-hyped collaborative work with musique concrète pioneer Pierre Henry, but before the work to come to fruition Henry died. Luckily, Henry's wife provided Jarre with the music stems and so the album is more Jarre's work with a little Henry thrown in. Now, I'm not familiar with Henry's work so have to context for what the project would have sounded like if it had been completed fully but nonetheless, it's a fascinating listen.
It's a soundscape which is often abstract and difficult to pin down. The album works as a whole piece and I don't imagine listening to one track independently. It is very much a tapestry of sounds to immerse yourself in. It can be a challenging listen in that there are very few standout pieces but the whole is quite engaging and interesting. I can imagine listening to it after a hard day at work, just letting the crunchy beats and Jarre signature arpeggios wend their way around me. Standout tracks include Animal Genesis, an 80s synthy piece that sounds very Stranger Things, Zeitgeist, a track that has the most hummable melody in pretty much the whole album, Brutalism, a catchy, upbeat synthy piece, and Epica, a fitting finale for the whole album which uses elements seen throughout to end on a pop-filled high.
Jarre is a pioneer and, rather than leaning into his greatest hits, I love seeing his evolution as an artist. That said, that doesn't mean I've enjoyed all his recent works but that's what good artists do; they stretch themselves and try new things. It may not work out but it's better than being generic and boring, eh? Personally, I'd admire his range and willingness to try something new or different.
Oxymore is an interesting album and well worth a listen but is by no means classic essential Jarre. For a similar style I'd recommend Jon Hopkins who has a more melodious and crunchy beat to his work or, if you're feeling nostalgic, Burial is pretty awesome too.
LINK- Equinoxe Infinity Album Review
LINK- Planet Jarre Celebrates 50 Years of Jarre