Om – God Is Good (Drag City)

Although there’s a new drummer in the midst, have no fear. From the opening notes of God Is Good, it’s obvious that Om are continuing to do what they do best; ecstatic head-nodding stoner jams lead by Al Cisnero‘s repetitive bass-riffing and hypnotic mantralike vocals. This is a new era for the band, as Emil Amos of Grails replaces Chris Hakius, but this has not taken away from all that makes Om great. On this effort they also invited Robert Lowe, aka Lichens, to play tamboura (an instrument similar to the sitar) on two of the tracks including the opening 19-minute epic track “Thebes,” which is able to stand equally alongside any of their previous albums. The last two songs feel a bit like filler, and yet they are strong tracks. They almost evoke a sense of aimlessness; like a nice walk where the goal isn’t really to get anywhere. God Is Good is not necessarily treading new territory here, but that’s doesn’t appear to be the aim; Om is far more interested in exploring nuance of textures and they continue to make great and complex music out of what on the surface sometimes appears simplistic.

-Todd ‘Pendu’ Brooks

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