Utopia = No Person

The Brooklyn trio Prince Rama has come a long way since its early punk-infused beginnings. Its 2012 offering Utopia = No Person may at first glance seem like half an EP, with just two listed tracks. Yet both are sprawling psychedelic songs, totaling more than 40 minutes. The set begins by spoofing '80s aerobics (as hinted at on the album artwork) with “Introduction + 15 Minute Workout.” Over dramatic synthesizer drones, sisters Taraka and Nimai Larson harmonize exercise directions with Michael Collins; then the song slowly succumbs to a crumbling sonic decay. Walls of distortion and looped vocal parts build into a hypnotic mantra. When the smoke clears, we’re left with only skittering beats playing over ascending and descending Moog tones that swoosh in and out of chilling new wave synths. Ghostly, pitched-down vocals introduce “Exorcise (Chopped N Skrewed R.E.M.I.X.).” As the song unfolds at a snail’s pace, it’s evident that this is a recording that’s been cleverly slowed to sound like ambient shoegazing for 21 minutes.