Nosaj Thing- "Drift"

GUEST WRITER- Chris Hogue, Pasadena, CA

So are you ready to go on a journey? …A journey of the mind. Totally self guided. Where do you want to go? Pick a place… we’ll go there. We shall need surround sound headphones; a bowl… and the debut album by 24-year old producer Jason Cheung, aka Nosaj Thing. Press play. Hit that shit. Close your eyes. And go. Don’t forget to stop every once in awhile and take a breather, because it’s entirely possible that you will forget to breathe.

The haunting beauty produced by the third track, "Coat Of Arms," will certainly suck the air right out of you. This track is the epitome of tripped out panning. Pick your destination. Is it beautiful? Is it frightening? Where ever we are, we are certainly overwhelmed. Expect to feel both oppressed and freed at the same moment. "Arms" shall concurrently pull you down, lift you up, seduce you, and frighten you. Be prepared, for your world will rip in two, fold in upon itself, then be sucked into a vortex as reality dissolves around you. Take your Dramamine or risk feeding the fish, because there’s no other way to process all of these emotions aside from screaming, crying, or throwing up. And yes, it still satisfies in some remarkably inexplicable way.

Assuming you survive "Coat Of Arms," three tracks later you shall arrive at "Caves." This is clearly a subterranean dance party. The progressive beat matched with varying levels of build-up and break-off is enough to make even the most timid want to move some part of their body as if they’re being pushed and pulled by the current of an incoming tide. In contrast we move on to the juxtaposition that is "Light #2." With this track Cheung has found a way to give you the sensation of quickly and cleanly tiptoeing on stars while simultaneously floating gently in the night sky. Have we arrived at the Aurora Borealis yet? Again, where you end up is entirely up to you. Nosaj Thing has gifted us with the ability to go on a psychedelic journey in which our only limitation is our imagination. The question is, where will Nosaj Thing take you?

Rating- 3.9 stars out of 5
Highlight Tracks- "Coat of Arms," "Light #2"

CATCH NOSAJ THING HERE:
7/15/09-Low End Theory, make-up show
The Airliner, Los Angeles
7/23/09-More Voltage Tour w/Glitch Mob and Daddy Kev
Spin, San Diego
7/24/09- More Voltage Tour w/Glitch Mob and Daddy Kev
The Roxy, Hollywood