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Om, "Addis Dubplate"
This single is a particularly divergent release in a career where divergence is rapidly becoming the norm, combining (arguably) the least Om-like song in their entire discography with Al Cisneros' recent fascination with dub reggae.  I expected the result to sound a lot like Al's solo dub debut from last year ("Dismas"), but this is something completely new altogether.  The reason for that is that Cisneros handed over the controls to seasoned British roots duo Alpha & Omega.  The piece is likable in its own way (once I got past reeling from my subverted expectations), but I suspect many Om fans will find that this detour is not for them.
The decision to enlist Alpha & Omega was certainly a bold and interesting one, as their influence is unquestionably a bit of a double-edged sword.  For better or worse, it shows that Al is now all-in when it comes to his love of dub reggae, seeking out actual, established reggae collaborators and releasing a real dubplate rather than working with electronic/experimental folks closer to his own scene.  While that could cynically (and hilariously) seem like just another entry crossed-off a stoner bucket list ("Write a concept album entirely about weed?  Check!  Embrace Indian instrumentation?  Check!  Make a real reggae album?  Almost there!"), it is also abundantly clear that Alpha & Omega are objectively very skilled at what they do and would be certain to produce something worthwhile (and I bet they probably know a lot of cool studio secrets that Al does not at this early stage of his dub phase).
Two things about "Ababa Dub" and its nearly indistinguishable flip-side immediately wrong-footed me though.  Firstly, Advaitic Songs' "Addis" sounded closer to Dead Can Dance than Om in its first incarnation and now its link to Om's sound is even more tenuous: the remix retains Kate Ramsey's vocals, the tabla, and the descending cello motif, but Al's bass is replaced and his vocals were never there to begin with.  Secondly, the languorous pulse of the original "Addis" seemed like the ideal raw material for smokey, sensuous dub heaven, but Alpha & Omega opted instead to speed-up the tempo to transform the piece into something unexpectedly tense, insistent, and tough.  I expected "sexy" or "hypnotic," but instead I got something that sounds like it should have someone toasting about revolution over the top of it.
Of course, an unexpected artistic decision is not the same as a bad one: Alpha & Omega did not make the record I wanted, but they did a fine job making the record they wanted.  While the two remixes are a bit faster than is probably ideal, the duo otherwise deliver just about everything I would want from a dub single: spectrally dissipating vocals, artfully accented percussion, hazy textures, great use of space, and...uh...something that sounds like a car alarm.  There is certainly some deeper common ground between Om and this dubplate to be found, as the two aesthetics share a devotion to both bass and repetition, but Addis Dubplate ultimately feels a lot more like a likable dub piece that happens to contain some Om samples than a fresh twist on Om's sound.  Which, of course, is perfectly fine, but different....possibly even unique, as Drag City's next two Cisneros platters tread a bit closer to expected territory.
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