Review
Om
Addis Dubplate

Everyone's favourite stoner rock band with a flair for the religious Om has been on a roll lately, releasing the incredible Advaitic Songs just last year. But they aren't stopping anytime soon--in addition to a planned single from frontman Al Cisneros to hit later this year, two of the band's tracks from their latest release have been handled by British reggae/dub act Alpha & Omega to be released as a series of dubplates.

The first, the Addis Dubplate, is a reworking of Om's song "Addis". The (comparatively) short opening track from Advaitic Songs, "Addis" is a very light piece that lays Arabic-influenced chant and instrumentation over Om's usual raison d'être. It's very soft and unassuming, even for Om, using its repetitive nature to slowly build up emotional tension in the listener over a time span of just five minutes, which, if you're unfamiliar with the band, is almost unheard of for them.

Alpha & Omega's first reworking, "Ababa Dub", shows an interesting take on the piece. The 4/4 nature of the song becomes heavily drawn out (with a much larger 1-3 emphasis), making the piece feel less reverently languid and more intentional and purposeful. Also, without relying as much on the female vocals to carry the piece, it places a lot more focus on the underlying instrumentation, making it feel less like a soliloquy and more like a band piece proper. The only distaste I find in this version is in their heavy reliance on forced triplets--they seem completely antithetical to the very understated and pacific piece they're building off of.

The B-Side contains the other reworking, titled "Addis Ababa", which is a much more straightforward adaption of Om's original piece. It infuses the electronic elements developed on the front side without actually extending or shortening the original track significantly. To my ear, untrained in the genre, they sound like the same ideas; the former side just seems to take them a bit further. I am almost certain someone with a more carefully trained ear for dubbing could point me wrong on this, however.

Of the two Α&Ω dubplates, this one is most likely to appeal to folks unfamiliar with the band. If you've heard any of Α&Ω's dubs before or aren't certain how to feel on Om, then this one will be more likely to strike your fancy--it's not as demanding from a musical or time perspective. Definitely make sure to give this a listen.