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What is The Weird Objective?
In 2015, I had just produced & released REC's latest album, The Sunshine Seminar. It was a worthy successor to REC's previous albums, Distance To Empty and Parts and Labour - electro power pop at its best.
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But there was a problem. I had WAY TOO MUCH material, and not all of it fit in the REC bucket. Which got me thinking: Why does music always have to be categorized into one or two narrow genres? Why can't it just be ... everything?
That lit a huge fire, and in 2016 I started blogging three times a week about whatever music I wanted to. That same year, I started a massive recording push originally called the "Music Genre Busting Project", which very soon turned into MUSIC is not a GENRE. I wanted the freedom to record any kind of music without worrying about what it was or if it fit into what REC's style is "supposed to be."
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I hit a creative frenzy that hasn't let up. Unlocking that freedom to be as diverse as I want has so far produced THIRTY songs in multiple genres (with another FORTY on their way). Those 30 songs needed a home. And that's how The Weird Objective was born.
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Each of these four EPs and one full-length album highlights a style of music I've always loved. Music I've been doing my whole career. Each one, in collaboration with incredibe indie bands like Vikodin Funeral, Techno Prisoners, America UK & ASCII Vision, gives you a way to digest these styles, to process all the differences and commonalities - the overall weirdness of ONE BAND releasing FIVE ALBUMS IN ONE YEAR that only go together because I say they do. So, like, Weird Objective accomplished. Props to my main backup vocalists Cathryn Lynne, Nicky DeMatteo, and my kids Katie/Colin/Will DeMatteo.
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I've created a playlist with ALL 32 tracks. Here's where you can hear it:
The Weird Objective on Spotify
The Weird Objective on YouTube
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To maximize the weird, I suggest you hit up the Spotify playlist and put it on shuffle.
If you'd rather digest them one by one, you can check them all out below, including the stoires, the songs, and four listening options for each. If you use some other streaming service, they're on that one too.
The Album
The Story
I love mellow, laid back, even slightly depressing music. Pavement. The Smiths. Violent Femmes. The Shins. With Vikodin Funeral, I got to explore all this. Track 1 is my favorite. Track 3 is ... just listen to it. Track 5 is a cover of one of my dad's hit songs from the late 1960s. Check out the original version too!
The Songs
1. Final Call 03:27
2. Lost Found 04:00
3. The Garden 03:10
4. Scroll Out 03:09
5. I Wanna Be Lonely 03:38
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Techno glitchy dark. Ambient edgy smooth funky. Techno Prisoners gave me the vehicle to speed down this road. Track 1 is ME. Track 3 is a Guess Who song completely reimagined. Track 5 is the same from Agent Orange, one of my favorite 1980s ambient surf punk bands. Those two tracks feature my son Colin on deep dark backup vocals.
1. Polymath 03:12
2. Don't Get Me High 04:30
3. New Mother Nature 03:25
4. Make Me Mic My Mouth 03:14
5. In Your Dreams Tonight 05:04
Epic rock turns music into drama. EVERY song is a story, but some bring character, narrative, and a slice-of-life vignette. The Brits do music like this in their sleep, and they make it FUN. America UK knows all this well. Track 2 SCORCHES. Track 4 is Cathryn's favorite. Track 5 is dedicated to my daughter, and to anyone who feels like they're losing someone. It features Cathryn Lynne on backup vocals.
1. The Accumulate 03:55
2. No Way Out For Me 04:38
3. Wonder Wonder 05:09
4. Real Life 04:29
5. Silence of the Disabused 03:53
6. Where You Go 04:17
Don't ever try to stop me from dancing. Funky rhythms are my lifeblood. I've been writing, producing & performing hip hop, dance, and r&b since forever. ASCII Vision graciously gave me the platform to make it all real. Track 2 is my favorite to perform. Track 4 is a Beatles song with a smoky rework. Track 5 is pure joy, and features vocals from Cathryn Lynne and my son Will, who also helped with the translations.
1. Make Me Break Like Everyday 03:48
2. You Make Me Wanna 04:11
3. Let It Wreck Your Mind 03:20
4. I'll Be Back 03:09
5. Sing Owwt 03:37
6. The Power of Repetition (Everlasting) 03:19
In 2004, I needed to be a band. So I transformed NICK into REC, and produced electro power pop that only a veteran live performer could create. This album is the true follow-up to REC's 2015 The Sunshine Seminar. Track 3 is my favorite. Track 5 is a Beatles song fully realized from its loose origin. Track 7 is a cover of my dad's biggest hit single from 1960 - and here's the original version. Tracks 9 & 10 are bonus singles - straight-up electro versions of Tracks 4 & 1. Featured backup vocals from Cathryn Lynne (2, 4, 9), Nicky DeMatteo (7), and my three kids Katie, Colin & Will (2).
1. Wake Up High 04:20
2. The Sky 03:00
3. Don't Say You Don't 02:43
4. All Kinds of Right (Road Edit) 04:57
5. It's All Too Much 03:54
6. Three More Minutes 03:10
7. Suddenly 03:28
8. What I Want 05:16
9. All Kinds of Right (House Edit) 05:07
10. Wake Up High (Euro Edit) 03:06