100 Unheralded Albums from 2010

Free Moral Agents: Control ThisFree Moral Agents: Control This (Chocolate Industries, 10/12/10)

Free Moral Agents: “North is Red”
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Mars Volta fans know Isaiah “Ikey” Owens as a master keyboardist, also lending his talents to the related experimental dub/reggae side project De Facto. But Owens’ own one-time side project, Free Moral Agents, has transformed into a full-time band with a second studio release, Control This.

Over a combination of ambient pop and trip hop, crunchy guitar riffs and avant-garde fusion motifs construct a critical foreground, and the esoteric vocals of Mendee Ichikawa make for a strong and fitting melodic element.  The music here is an eclectic collection of tastefully clashing sounds.

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