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UID:9b0036a4-5e57-4a2a-8850-33bab84c3b9c@360exp.net
SEQUENCE:29843156
DTSTAMP:20260928T204921Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260928T095612Z
DTSTART:20261206T030000Z
DTEND:20261206T060000Z
SUMMARY:OMNI
LOCATION:Zebulon
DESCRIPTION:**OMNI**\n\nTen years on\, Omni’s ‘Deluxe’ is a bit of a 
 paradox\; It’s an island of a record with a fully formed untethered-to-a
 ny-scene unique quality but I hear its influence everywhere in the art pun
 k underground. There are countless bands that have mined inspiration from 
 the LP’s cerebral pop cool\, single string riffs\, syncopated hooks\, an
 d crispy mid-fi production style. Perhaps in 2016 when Omni cheekily named
  the album ‘Deluxe’\, they knew they had a classic on their hands. The
  band was poking fun of the streaming era marketing tactic where artists r
 e-enter the algorithm via a ‘deluxe’ expanded version of an album righ
 t after the original is released but ironically\, ten years later Omni’s
  debut is a genuine classic and is being re-released with a bonus disc of 
 B-sides\, outtakes\, and demos.\n\nOmni began as a way for Philip Frobos (
 bass + vocals) and Frankie Broyles (guitars + drums + keys) to practice cr
 eative spontaneity in contrast to the slower meticulous methods their then
  other bands employed. One fateful night in 2013\, the then-roommates devi
 sed an Eno-inspired creative game: Would it be possible to write an entire
  song (arrangement + lyrics\, etc.) all in one three hour night session? W
 hereas most bands begin sculpting a riff or progression brought in by one 
 member\, Omni revelled at the chance to begin each songwriting session wit
 h a true tabula rosa with no goal in mind except trusting the process. The
 se sessions often began with a melodic bass line that was then quickly com
 plemented by syncopated pointillist guitar (Frankie almost never voices fu
 ll chords on guitar in Omni). Philip would then retreat to a quiet area to
  write lyrics as quickly as possible while Frankie worked on writing and r
 ecording the drum parts. Seeking the definitive by chance\, any accidents 
 that happened in the takes became baked into the song’s arrangements\; A
 n extra measure here or resting a beat too long there forced the band to c
 ome up with creative musical solutions.\n\nThe first song written using th
 is method was the ultra catchy ‘Eyes on the Floor’ which tellingly has
  a lyric about an unpleasant experience with a previous musical collaborat
 or\; it’s as if the lyric is exorcising previous negative creative exper
 iences as the music itself is bouncing with a calm confidence created by t
 he epiphany of Philip and Frankie’s newfound stress-free dedication to s
 peed and trust. What’s remarkable is how fully formed the band’s signa
 ture sound appeared out of the gate\; hooky laid back vocals delightfully 
 dance above a bouncy rhythm section and spiky overdriven single string gui
 tar lines that hit the sweet spot between abstraction and pop.\n\nThe econ
 omic songwriting betrays a true sense of virtuosity\; The power duo explod
 es with melodic lines and clever counterpoint that is far removed from the
  atonal motorik stomp of many of Omni’s peers in the current art rock un
 derground. Frankie is truly one of his generation’s most unique and crea
 tive guitar players\; he always sounds like himself even when assimilating
  disparate influences. Often labelled post-punk\, Omni was never particula
 rly angry or intense. The disc evokes classic art punk and new wave but th
 e band also adds dashes of Flying Nun style Kiwi pop\, 70’s funk\, and e
 ven classic rock into their distinct minimalist palette.\n\n‘Orange Juic
 e\, late Velvet Underground\, Berlin era-Iggy Pop were all touchstones for
  my vocal melodies’ says Philip. His impressionistic lyrics betray a lit
 erary ambition (Philip is also a novelist\, his 2021 book ‘Vague Enough 
 to Satisfy’ depicts a fictional band touring through Europe). The words 
 of the songs are often tied to a particular set piece such as the romantic
  dramatic situations in ‘Plane’ (set in an erotically charged airplane
 ) or ‘Earrings’ (set in a lover’s kitchen). This approach\, surely a
 ided by their speedy writing\, betrays strong subconscious desire but also
  feels like one is hearing excerpts from a collection of short stories whe
 re the listener is only afforded a sliver of a glimpse from a larger fully
  formed narrative world. Perhaps it’s the Georgia gestation doing some a
 ssociative work but this abstract literary approach reminds me of the best
  writing of Michael Stipe ( R.E.M.) and Vanessa Hay (Pylon).\n\nIronically
 \, Omni vocals are more audible in the demos than the finished record. Thi
 s is partly because the band was heavily inspired by the demo-sounding qua
 lity of classic records by Shoes\, the Monochrome Set\, and Women. Close l
 istening to the demos (recorded 2013-2016) on the expanded second disc rev
 eals some subtleties I’ve overlooked in the ten years I’ve been listen
 ing to the record. Lovely overdubs leap out of the speakers such as Franki
 e's twelve-string guitar in the final moments of ‘Wednesday Wedding’ a
 nd the clanking piano hook at the end of ‘Eyes on the Floor’. The bonu
 s second disc also includes the 2017 7-inch ‘Fever Bass/Thesis’ as wel
 l as two previously unreleased tracks ‘Loud Talking’ and ‘Coliseum
 ’. The latter is especially revealing considering it’s by far the band
 ’s most dissonant and brooding track\, reminiscent of Preoccupations and
  early Sonic Youth. Its exclusion from the original LP is a testament to t
 he careful curation of the Omni sound and world (Frankie is also the archi
 tect of all of the band’s retro-futurist graphic design).\n\nIn 2016\, O
 mni signed with Chicago’s Trouble in Mind Records and released ‘Deluxe
 ’. The band soon found themselves playing to rapturous audiences in the 
 states and Europe\, thanks to the brilliant singles ‘Afterlife’ and 
 ‘Wire’. Omni followed up ‘Deluxe’ with the equally inspired ‘Mul
 ti-task’ (written speedily before ‘Deluxe’ was even released) and ev
 entually the expansive and captivating LP’s 'Networker’ and ‘Souveni
 r’ on Sub Pop. Frankie and Philip are currently working on their fifth a
 lbum…\n\nBoletos: https://dice.fm/event/l8mq2w-omni-5th-dec-zebulon-los-
 angeles-tickets
URL;VALUE=URI:https://360exp.net/events/9b0036a4-5e57-4a2a-8850-33bab84c3b9
 c
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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