Om / Six Organs of Admittance / Lichens
Johnny Brenda’ s; Philadelphia, PA

The consequence of attending too many concerts is usually cynicism. This cynicism from over-attendance takes many forms. One is related to the oftentimes tedious line-up of opening bands the attendee must suffer through before the headlining act takes the stage. This problem can be avoided, though, when venues, labels, and artists put some thought into choosing the bands that will tour and play together. The combination of OM, Six Organs of Admittance, and Lichens is a perfect example of how to properly put together a roster. While all three create diverse and profound sounds, one cannot help but notice a unifying thread linking them together. Namely, the spiritual journey, which is oftentimes more dark than overly optimistic, that each takes through their music.

I had never heard {Lichens}, the recording project of Robert Lowe, prior to this performance. Lowe’s minimalistic presentation consisted only of the use of his voice and a looping device. His vocal loops began with angelic harmonies tranquilly floating in contemplative space, but as the layers gradually accumulated, the mood switched gears radically. Lowe summoned terrifying, primal sounds from the guttural depths, and the squeals became more animalistic than human as the totality of looped voices created the aural dimensions of what can be best described as a haunted rainforest. Despite what Kant said about the problems associated with humans replicating the sounds of the natural world, Lichens provides a genuine feeling of being-there that reveals many interesting aspects regarding the possibilities of the relationship between memory and the human voice. What immediately struck me was the notion that all of these struggling, aggressive, and primordial tendencies are already stored within the human body, concealed but not defeated by historical process of socialization. Despite this concealment, Lichens manages to reach these forgotten places and partially reveal them through voice.

Ben Chasny, the mind behind {Six Organs of Admittance}, first took the stage alone to perform some instrumental pieces with his alternately tuned acoustic guitar. Chasny’s guitar style is one of the most sophisticated and interesting on the contemporary acoustic scene, and as I noticed Jack Rose -- another spectacular acoustic guitarist -- in the audience, I couldn’t help but feel increased excitement. Chasny’s style is drone-centric, building on repetitive phrases that lead to intense Indian Classical inspired sound-modes. Chasny was eventually joined by a guitarist and bassist who he referred to as his “brother,” though I’m not sure if this was meant in the blood or the ecumenical sense. The two journeyed further into darker spiritual domains, and one of the highlights was (what I think was) a performance of “Redefinition of Being” from Nightly Trembling (though it may have been “Bar-Nasha” from Luminous Night). Chasny’s guttural droning accompanies the guitar phrases, establishing a sometimes discomforting, but reflective, labyrinth for the listener to linger within. The end result is some sort of purging of evil spirits; a rewarding cleansing that leaves one feeling modestly sagacious.

{OM}’s Al Cisneros and new drummer Emil Amos were joined on stage by Lowe from Lichens, who transitioned between keys, guitar, and ecstatic tambourine playing. In order to recreate the expansion of sounds captured on 2009’s God Is Good, the addition of Lowe was necessary, and his excitement enhanced the performance greatly. Amos’ more spontaneous drumming style, in comparison to that of previous drummer Chris Hakius, provides a furious energy to the joyful fills between Cisnero’s heavy Tibetan-drone modalities. “Cremation Ghat I,” one of the standout tracks from God Is Good, sounded fantastic with the full band contributing to the hand-clap percussion. "Cremation" captures the new trajectory of the band well, as they are moving into more nuanced and complicated sonic dimensions.

The primary complaint about the new OM sound -- namely Cisneros’ newfound restraint when it comes to hitting the gain pedal and swerving the mood in a heavier direction -- was felt during their performance. Without the thick, distorted bass-groove, the band has become much tamer than one would expect. Throughout the entire set, the Sabbath-inspired heaviness was lacking. But, when the band came out to play “At Giza” for the encore, the crowd’s enthusiasm was instantly felt, for we all knew what the last few minutes of the song would bring. It seems as if OM are using their gain-heavy past as a weapon to combat listeners’ expectations. One might conceptualize this constraint as maturation, a brave stance to prove they are not limited by their previous structures. But it is also worth pointing out that, as M. Night Shyamalan knows very well, disrupting expectations can oftentimes produce negative consequences.

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