After absorbing the impact of his completely essential 'Rifts' collection, we're immensely pleased to say we've got limited copies of Oneohtrix Point Never's sublime 'Russian Mind' LP on No Fun Productions. The album is centred around the evocative theme of a Russian cosmonaut past his prime, composing the score to a film from his hospital bed in a room on the east wing of an orbiting infirmary, facing a window overlooking a grove of holographic birch trees, lending a brilliantly romantic sci-fi feel to the entirely synthetic sounds within. As it's already been noted, OPN manages to capture the pastoral synth spirit of Boards of Canada or the legendary Kosmiche experimentalists Moebius & Roedelius with a shockingly tender touch, one that you might not expect from a No Fun release, but fits entirely with the feel of recent Emeralds releases. The majestic title track is worth the cover price alone, sounding like Wendy Carlos and the Focus Group composing the ambient score for a Russian planetarium, while the brain-melting 'Physical Memory' installs epic visions of deep space, recalling with misty eyes, an expression of vast wonderment that leaves us wide eyed and utterly rapt every time we experience it. We're no sure you'll come across a more magical record this year, so we'd advise getting in very quickly indeed if you'd like to undergo the experience too. Awesome.
