Oneohtrix Point Never: Myrian at Park Avenue Armory
photo credit: Drew Gurian / Red Bull / Content Pool

Oneohtrix Point Never premiered 'MYRIAD' @ Park Avenue Armory (pics, review)

Oneohtrix Point Never premiered MYRIAD, a site-specific presentation of songs from his new album Age Of, at Manhattan’s Park Avenue Armory on Tuesday night (5/22) as part of this year’s Red Bull Music Festival. Or, as it was referred to in the programs on everyone’s seats, a “Concertscape” envisioning “The Extraordinary and Fantastical Deathsong of the Worst Timeline Immemoriam In Which We Bear Witness to the Tribulations of Puppet, a Wretch & His Dumb Friends; A Rat, A Garbage Bag, & the Rest of Us.”

I’m not sure I followed or could even discern a storyline at Tuesday night’s performance, but Daniel Lopatin and his new live ensemble (Kelly Moran, Aaron David Ross and Eli Keszler) certainly filled the Armory with sound and sights. Ethereal new age soundscape pop like this (Age Of is his most song-oriented LP to date), presented in surround sound, is made for a massive venue like the Armory and sounded great. It was easily the most engaging performance by 0PN I’ve ever seen, and his band — especially drummer Keszler — brought things to life, even if the players were as stationary as the audience.

Livening things up were two bizarre sculptures, part Chuck Jones, part Matthew Barney, that rotated slowly from the ceiling, and two French window-style screens behind the band that projected bizarre animations (some featuring those weird sculptures) and other stuff. The garbage bag mentioned above came to life in a giant blob sculpture that inflated and deflated during one song; dancers in cowboy hats made their way through the audience at one point; and electronic artist Prurient and cellist Kelsey Lu joined the group separately for songs, adding noise and beauty, respectively.

After the main MYRIAD performance, which was broken into song suites titled ECCO, HARVEST, EXCESS, BONDAGE, and EPILOGUE, the group came back for a two-song encore of “Child Of Rage” and “Chrome Country.” They were selling Age Of (which isn’t officially out till next week) in a dedicated merch room that also featured a player grand piano that was playing solo arrangements Age Of songs (as performed by Kelly Moran) which was a cool touch.

MYRIAD will have two more performances on Thursday, May 24 (both sold out). Cellphone pics were discouraged but a few instagram videos, and the setlist, are below.

Kelsey Lu plays Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight, and is part of the 2018 MoMA PS1 Warm-Up lineup, and is on Florence & The Manchine’s new album.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHw4ukFJ1K/?taken-at=17465
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjH9isJFqtj/?taken-at=17465

SETLIST: Oneohtrix Point Never ‘MYRIAD’ @ Park Avenue Armory 5/22/2018
Age Of
Still Stuff That Doesn’t Happen
Raycats
– CUSP SOLO –
Toys 2
Babylon
Manifold
– CUSP SOLO –
We’ll Take It
The Station
Love in the Time of Lexapro
-CUSP SOLO –
Warning
Same
Black Snow
Last Known Image of a Song
– CUSP SOLO –
Never Ending Happening

ENCORE
Child of Rage
Chrome Country

photo credit: Drew Gurian & Todd Owyoung / Red Bull / Content Pool