The Opus - March of the Termites - Maxi-Single

By: Brandon Backhaus

Haunting as Fuck!

At this point you should probably know I get bonerz for ethereal, atmospheric music that sounds like something you’d make love to the ghost of your lady by. The Opus, a production tag team of Mr. Echoes and The Isle of Weight, has made a ghost-lady loving career out of these kind of spooky breaks. Whether in the sounds of contemporaries like Blockhead, or in those of newcomers like Void Pedal and Emancipator, The Opus’s influence is notable. I think all these dudes need to give DJ Shadow a big fucking high five. March of the Termites is another quality instrumental offering from one of today's best beastros. 

This time around all the electronic sweeps and squelches are an array of breaks, from the lazy R.C.T. to the unexpected reggaeton flipped to dubstep drive of title track, March of the Termites. Catepillar Poison goes into another direction altogether with a fat 808 slap. My favorite is the block rock of Sun Dragon.

The variety is refreshing if not a little schizophrenic. As an EP, or Maxi-Single, it feels like a showcase of where this duo is headed, as well as what sounds they are experimenting with.

You know, I never really know what to do to this kind of beatscaping, as it’s too hype for going nighty-night, but too chill for running around the house in only a pair of black socks spilling Fruity Pebbles all over the place.

It’s perfectly suited to car commercials. If I was a professional driver on a closed course it’d be in my contract that my background music had to be something of this variety. My Audi hugging tight mountain curves, deer and bears standing bewildered as, womp womp womp, a human being (me, bro) in a rocket ship on wheels just blows through their natural habitat at a buck five. Yea, Fuck you animals.

I’m pretty sure I read that a new The Opus full-length is on the way. Until that time, this maxed out single will have to do. In the meantime, go steal an Audi, don’t forget your mirror-tinted racing helmet, plug in the iPod, crank this little diddy, adjust your climate and traction control, turn on those sexy headlights and Opus the Fuck out dog!

(Editor’s note: One of our beloved leaders, back hair aficionados, and man about the honey bees lets his gee-tar fingers do the talking on the track R.C.T. - Great job man… I especially like the indulgent dream sequence at the end there. Tantric bro bro… yea!)