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Lichens, "Omns"
I would be a criminal if I called Robert Lowe anything but a master of his craft. Allusions to divine sources of inspiration and eastern meditative practices might help convey some intimation of what Omns feels like, but such a description would completely overlook how lyrical and detailed the entire record is. Included on this CD and DVD combo is the work of an artist with all of his facilities functioning on the highest level possible.
Kranky
The Psychic Nature of Being came as a surprise to me. Kranky has managed to release nothing but good to phenomenal records in the last few years, so I wasn't surprised when I found that I was enjoying the record as I listened to it. What caught me off guard was just how vivid it was. Here was a guitarist painting elaborate pictures with only the barest strumming involved and with a kind of overwhelming minimalism. Despite the asceticism of his arrangements, the music Lichens produces is loud and powerful, demanding attention and personal involvement. None of this has changed on Omns, though it sounds as though Lowe has tempered his improvisational approach more on this record and for the better.
This tempering benefits Lichens' music in two ways: it expands the range of sounds used on any one track and it provides a unifying theme to the record that was absent on The Psychic Nature of Being. Without uttering a word, Omns outlines a narrative through Lowe's superb guitar performance, vocal utterances, and sound effects. This is the heart of the album: the fact that Lowe has learned to express himself flawlessly with the instruments he employs. It's no wonder thoughts of Buddhism, spirituality, or transcendentalism come to the mind's of writers when attempting to probe Lichens' music and explain the effect it has: Lowe puts himself in his music, transforms his spirit into rumbling, distorted guitars and crying tongues, and has the skill necessary to tie it all together in a meaningful way. All the while, through his ascetically informed approach, he builds a recognizable, but distinct aesthetic. The language of his music becomes immediately available to whoever is listening and his vocabulary is simultaneously accessible and richly poetic. Lowe walks the very fine line between highly artistic, difficult expression and immediately powerful and familiar dialect.
Omns passes quickly: it is a scant five tracks and 43 minutes long. After the phased and warped ring of "Sighns" concludes, it is tempting to begin the record all over again and mine the record for all it is worth. This is worth doing, but Kranky also includes a DVD with this album that is worth paying attention to as well. Featured on the DVD is a live performance at the Empty Bottle in Chicago, Illinois, a space I am quite familiar with. The performance is outstanding, even if some of the supplementary images are unnecessary. What is astounding is how quiet the audience is on the DVD. The Empty Bottle is not some unheard of venue in Chicago and has been host to a number of very popular bands. Every show I saw there was caked in crowd noise, people chattering incessantly over the music in order to be heard and increasing the volume of their voices as the music became louder. Not so during this Lichens performance. Lowe commands this audience, silences them and draws their attention squarely on his barely moving frame. Even when his guitar playing sinks to near inaudible levels and his attention shifts from his instrument of choice to various pedals, microphones, and machines, the audience keeps quiet, giving Lowe the space he needs to create his art. The performance is completely distinct from much of what appears on the record and has increased my appetite to see Lowe play in the flesh. The album alone is superb, but the DVD pushes this package over the edge and fixes it in my mind as astonishing.
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