Breaking out with their debut album OS-1, Omega Swan brings a smart mix of punk/groove/rock that should instantly grab the attention of a lot of Third Man and high energy punk fans!
"Planet Rad" rips open to start the album with a thick guitar riff that's surrounding a power punk drive on the drums and bass.
"Finally on Planet Rad, the best life you ever had" anchors the lyrical hook hinting at alien planets, spaceships, relationships and of course interstellar space travel.
A semi-cadence drum fill break occurs early in the song which is later mimicked by guitar and bass leading to a full blow syncopated outro ending.
Groove shows up early with a two track guitar structure featured within "Diggin'" that shapes the song into a layed back blues/rock feel. Not your typical verse, chorus, verse
approach to this track which attempts to blaze it's on lyrical rhyme scheme.
"You Can Dig It" and I do for the most part but would have liked to hear a little more rhythm section development that could have fattened up the pocket groove even more.
Sweet guitar lick, check! Melodic without being on overkill loop. Vocal mix is lacking a bit in overall volume/gain through my headphones but "Arrow Through My Brain" has a smart arrangement along with a crazy fun title.
Time to switch it up a little with "Luna". Another well placed guitar hook with a extremely tasteful "aye aye aye" that Ozzy might even approve of in his post Crazy Train years.
Falsetto vocals mix it up with a heavy jazz feel to the groove and sustained guitar chord selections.
"I wanna fly too, Luna" smacks of an Adam Levine meets Dave Mathews vocal approach which works but is quickly put in check with the "Whatcha mean, Whatcha mean, Whatcha mean" breakdown mid song.
Kicking straight blues with some serious vocal effect, "Crawling" takes a near synth guitar effect to the limit with nice punches and breaks. Really would have liked the vocal mix up more in this one too. Almost a five minute jam of great breaks and licks none the less.
Static-groove if such a concept could explain the intro to "Alien" album version. Note progressions that remind me of some great Living Colour riffs and solos back in the day
but still all original in execution. Vocal lines that mimic the guitar scale riffs in a cool Axle Rose-esque fashion at times. Static Space Groove/Rock, I'm sticking with that for this track.
Vicious Smile - Their modern blues infuses with their ‘70s rock style. Starts into slow modern blues, with the drum cymbals loudly clanging in the background. After the lyrics state the name of the song, the guitar goes into a fast spiral reminiscent of Zeppelin’s Dazed and Confused. As the song picks up more, a keyboard pops up onto the surface of the song for a brief time.
Magic Potion brings the party into the living room without Omega Swan being present. Some part of the body is bound to move along to the high energy melody. The melody has perfectly timed pauses - which in a live show, this will simply energizes the crowd more.
It’s fun, different and an excellent track to pump up the mood.
Get Along - It’s more a pop - rock feel. It’s one of their oldest songs they have played around Nashville and it is the true definition of house show. Get Along can liven up a party with the first five chords. The lyrics can easily get stuck in your head. Omega Swan finishes the song with a high energy guitar solo.
Full Moon - The recording of this song was in a different location and time for the band. It was one of their earliest recordings that hit ReverbNation. The song is different than the entire album combined. They hit a strong folk influence with girl harmonies and just guitar.
The song is more quiet and feeds off the poetic lyrics.
Live edition of Alien recorded at DeadHau5. - solidifies how this band got their start at house shows. The crowds energy is clearly heard in the first part of the song. It’s creepy - slow at first, with a a mimic “boom” sound to the crunchy guitar. In the middle a psychedelic guitar solo and heavy loud bass. It’s hard to believe at first that this song was a live recording. Just because it is well recorded and the music is as practiced and professional as their recorded version of Alien.
Omega Swan can create an energy during their live performances or playing through speakers at home, and the are masters at manipulating that energy. The album has
several influences from different genres but Omega Swan still manages to stay true to who they are - bringing the party to you.
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