Odyssey

Description

The Mowest label, based in Los Angeles, lasted less than two years, but managed during that short time to release some of the most adventurous music the company has ever put out. And probably the most fearless – and today, beloved – release from Mowest was the 1992 self-titled album by Odyssey. This unique piece brought together elite West Coast musicians like Wrecking Crew stalwart Don Peake, former Chicago member Donnie Dacus, and extraordinary arranger/orchestrator Gene Page with a group of West Coast hippie rockers (as Peake puts it, "We were invited to lunch, introduced to nice people, and told we were going to form a band"). The happy result was a record that appeared on more DJ platters than you can count, a unique blend of funky Motown background with a spacey sensibility and a sound that fits right alongside, say, the latest Khruangbin album on your psychedelic chill playlist, even as it activates your sunny pop endorphins from the 5th dimension. The single "Our Lives Are Shaped by What We Love" is probably the click-worthy choice, but the whole album is a total vibe.