It’s always an indication that you are listening to something special when the first comparison that springs to mind is Pink Floyd’s ‘Set the controls for the heart of the sun’, for Om plough a similar furrow of experimentation on this rather special record.
First track, ‘Thebes’ is a magnificent, twenty-minute long exercise in slow-burning tension and release. Al Cisneros’ voice sounds like it’s crawled out of the sixties, almost chanting the intelligent yet abstract lyrics, while haunting and unusual instrumentation such as the Tamboura float in and out of the mix. It’s powerful stuff played by consummate musicians who make every note count rather than flailing out a barrage of loud but ultimately meaningless noise.
‘Meditation is the practice of death’ is altogether darker, riding in on a twisted bass-line that rumbles out of the speakers with Emil Amos’ drums providing a rock-solid backdrop to the monumental noise being created. ‘Cremation Ghat I’ is, by contrast, based around a deep groove and almost primal chanting. The rhythm pounds through you and inspires movement while the bass negotiates the clattering drums like a snake before slipping into the eastern tinged ‘Cremation Ghat II’ which is slower and more complex, bringing the album to a pleasing close.
Om produce music that is soulful, intense and utterly absorbing, which is perhaps not that surprising given its creators’ rich musical heritage. Coupled with a deep, rich production courtesy of an unusually restrained Steve Albini, and weighing in at a relatively svelte thirty-five minutes that are so packed with invention that the whole thing feels closer to fifteen, this is an album to play over and over, each time pushing a little deeper into the sense of mystery that pervades it. Thoroughly recommended.
Om – God is good is out on September 29 through Drag City
