Heavy and Light

SteveK on Omega Crom and She & Him–

Omega Crom: Blood, Steel & Fire

Garage Band sensibilities and Classic Metal Era construction combine with modern Speed Metal proclivities to create a fresh take on the genre as a whole.  My first impression was awe, as vocalist Johnny K altered between a deep growl and a shrill falsetto not from song to song but within the same lyric.  As rapid-fire as his vocal changes, the accompaniment from guitarists Wayne Holden and Ian Wilcke and drummer Dan La Pierre keeps pace and sets tone perfectly across the nine tracks on this treble-charged disk.

This is not the high-speed one-note incomprehensible-growl of most of the supposed “pros” of modern Metal; this simultaneously breaks the mold and returns to Metal’s roots.  There are some problems: a poorly-edited sound-effects intro doesn’t merge fluidly with the lead track, terrible album art and occasional production missteps.  However the music and performances here redeem.  All in all, Omega Crom’s ‘Blood, Steel & Fire’ is an impressive debut.

Omega Crom: Blood, Steel & Fire

Independent

Steve’s Rating: 8/10

She & Him: Volume Two

Okay, okay; it’s been a couple of years but I’m still kind of wowed that Zooey Deschanel, besides being a cute Indie Girl actress is also a cute Indie Girl singer.  Not only that, but she and her co-conspirator M. Ward have a pretty good thing going here.

‘Volume Two’ is, obviously, a follow-up to their debut, ‘Volume One’.  The music here is reminiscent of Pop music from the late 1950’s to early 1960’s, with a slight return to the vocals and a mélange of traditional pop instrumentation with orchestral elements of strings, brass and other classic accents.

The music is sophisticated and modern, without the precocious innocence of Pop music’s bygone past.  Blended together with upbeat notes, two-part harmonies and retro sensibilities, ‘Volume Two’ is unlike anything I’ve come across since 2007’s ‘In Camera’ by Arthur & Yu.

The songs here are gentle and pleasing, a light but complex, refreshing album.

She & Him: Volume Two

Merge Records

Steve’s Rating: 9/10

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