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Nov 16, 2011 Issue #38 - 10th Anniversary Issue By Ben Schumer

Daniel Lopatin, the man behind Oneohtrix Point Never, exhibits a restless, prolific nature that extends not just to the frequency of his releases but also to the number of projects he takes on.  Last year, he released his breakthrough LP, Returnal, as well as the debut EP by Games (now Ford & Lopatin), his project with Tiger City’s Joel Ford. This year, he has already released Channel Pressure, Ford & Lopatin’s debut LP, and now we have the second OPN album in as many years. It all makes you wonder if the guy needs to slow down a bit and worry about sustaining quality control.

Unfortunately, that is the concern that keeps coming to mind when listening to Replica, which the press release describes as: “an electronic song cycle based around lo-fi audio procured from television advertisement compilations.” Ironically, the addition of samples is, for the most part, imperceptible and rarely coalesces into any sort of musical progression for Lopatin. When the samples are noticeable (as on “Nassau,” “Up,” and “Child Soldier”), they are jarring, repetitive, and ultimately feel like they’re working against the song.

The jump in quality from his collected works on Rifts to Returnal naturally led to a bit of “What’s to come?” pondering and Replica feels, at best, like a step sideways. There are moments of minor success (mostly in the first half), but these are moments that rely the least on samples, retracing some of Returnal’s dark, boundless, ambient journeys. (www.pointnever.com)

Author rating: 5/10