Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 24/7/2012
Label: Drag City
Track Listing
Addis 5:35
State of Non-Return 6:09
Gethsemane 10:28
Sinai 10:22
Haqq
al-Yaqin 11:25
Total running time: 43:39
Bio
Om, a duo formed in San Francisco in 2003, after the mighty
‘Sleep’ disbanded. Bass player Al Cisneros and Drummer Chris Hakius decided to
do something a little different, though not trailing too far from their
stoner/doom roots. They basically set out to create a type of drone, avant
garde/ambient sound based loosely around Tibetan and Byzantine rhythms and
chants. But back in 2008, drummer Chris Hakius left the band only to be
replaced by Emil Amos, a friend and former tour companion from the band
‘Grails’. They are now also joined on vocals and various instruments by the
very talented Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe from ‘Litchens’ a solo project and also
from ’90 day men’. After four full lengths and also a series of splt singles
and live recordings they release their fifth studio album ‘Adviatic songs’.
Current Line up
Emil Amos - Drums
Al Cisneros - Bass, Vocals
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - Vocals, Keyboards, Percussion
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 guitars 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 it’s 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.
Written by: John Slaymaker
Please support this amazing band and check out the links below. Thanks as usual to Lauren Barley for the hook up. It is a brilliantly diverse record. Buy here
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