Despite it’s fun, sexy and whimsical allure RYAN POWER’s Identity Picks is a serious piece of work. We are talking about an extremely talented musician whose mission, in addition to creating highly stimulating electronic pop music, seems to be challenging and arousing his listener at the same time. Well, suffice it to say mission accomplished, and repeated with regularity. This native New Englander’s odd shit is quixotic, so bold and bizarre that it’s hard to believe it even exists in the face of contemporary music, let alone in the face of Burlington, VT. Perhaps it’s because his music is simultaneously chilling in two very disparate worlds: the slick production and profoundly catchy tunes could have Power doing backstrokes in the mainstream but the disturbing textures and left-field melodies keep him happily splashing around in the shitty kiddy pool of underground noise culture. Awesomely fat synth bass lines and crisp ass drum machine make up the playful electro bounce of serious hits like “Earth To Fuckface” and “The Prize,” and they’re dressed to kill with eccentric decorations of synth, guitar and vocal origin. There are more long-form, dark mind journeys than there are interstellar pop bangers on here, but all of them will have you unabashedly grooving along with anyone else in earshot. In fact, it’s the slow, R&B tinged, creepy synth-pop burners that really blur the line between uncomfortable and invigorating melodic fiber. Power has that real, deep emotion and his release for it all is crafting beautiful, twisted and downright frisky pop songs. It’s his gift to the world and I for one am saying thank you, Ryan. I’m turned on and weirded out. Out now on NNA TAPES.