Om - 'Advaitic Songs' (Album Review)

Written by: John Slaymaker

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/7/2012

Label: Drag City 

 

This is an awesome record and I love the chanting mantra’s and general eastern feel, but as usual the Bass tone is very well presented.

‘Advaitic Songs’ CD//DD//LP track Listing

1). Addis (5:35)

2). State of Non-Return (6:09)

3). Gethsemane (10:28)

4). Sinai (10:22)  

5). Haqq al-Yaqin (11:25)

Om is:

Emil Amos | Drums

Al Cisneros | Bass, Vocals

Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe | Vocals, Keyboards, Percussion

The Review

‘Addis’ has a wonderful introduction with a female vocal chanting and singing an ancient Indian Sanskrit, a tambourine  keeps the beat as cello and bass wander in and out with these fabulous vocals, provided by Kate Ramsey.

That was definitely a great opening track with a cool sweet eastern vibe.    ‘State of Non-Return’ starts with Al Cisneros providing a nice grooving bass line, fat as fuck and heavy and low. Violin and Cello make for a nice bridge, but I can’t get over how well the bass and vocals mix together, when the verse comes back in. It ends with a quieter interlude with piano and strings and I get looking at the artwork, a well drawn holy image. I think its John the Baptist? Holding his hands out, as if he is about to receive a toke on a big fat joint.  By the way, the name Om is taken from the Hindu syllable known as the vibration of the universe, often used as a mantra (a rhythmic ritual word that Hindus use and repeat for a long time when getting in trance mental states).

‘Gethsemane’ the third song and chalking up at over ten minutes, continues with the holy theme where ‘Gethsemane’ (a garden at the foot of the mount of olives in Jerusalem) and famous as, according to gospels, Jesus and his crew are said to have prayed the night before his crucifixion. I think this is where Robert A.A. Lowe comes in with the Tambura, making for some nice good rhythms with great drumming, good mix.  ‘Sinai’ another ten minutes plus song, and I'm thinking this is not as quite as heavy as Om's previous records but we all  know you don’t need to be down tuned and overdriven to be ‘Heavy’. This is an awesome record and I love the chanting mantra’s and general eastern feel, but as usual the Bass tone is very well presented.

‘Haqq al-Yaqin’ is complemented with Robert Lowe on the tabla’s, and wonderful cello and violins, which make for a wicked groove and forgive me for even trying to imagine those from The Mighty Boosh doing some kind of formulated dance. This is a great closer for the album, clocking up at an impressive eleven and a half minutes.  The acoustic guitars, not sure who’s playing them but they are sweetly accompanied with pretty much all the other instruments featured on this album. What a cool vibe Om have got going on and for that reason this is a must hear album.  Brilliant stuff.

Advaitic Songs’ is available here

Band info: Facebook