Suggest New Bands and Artists - OM for indo/raga rock

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OM for indo/raga rock

Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Suggest New Bands and Artists
Forum Description: Suggest, create polls, and classify new bands you would like included on Prog Archives
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=133591
Printed Date: November 29 2024 at 06:01
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: OM for indo/raga rock

Posted By: bardberic
Subject: OM for indo/raga rock
Date Posted: September 14 2024 at 17:30

While not strictly Indian, as OM also uses middle eastern/Islamic themes and composition, as well as some Orthodox Christian and generally Judeo-Christian iconography in a refined sound, presentation, and appearance, the foundation of this artist, evidenced by their name "OM," is from the droning that makes raga rock what it is. The band is also not religious in a strict sense, but their while thing is spirituality from across the world, and their meditative sound fits in better with raga rock than with other psych rock bands. If their sound is too beyond traditional raga rock for them to be satisfactory there, psychedelic/space rock could work here, as well experimental/post metal, though I wouldn't necessarily agree with the latter as much.

The focus here for the progarchives is on their two more recent albums, Advaitic Songs and God is Good - these are their more progressive-sounding albums, that should make them a candidate for the site.

OM, formed in 2003, is the brainchild of stoner doom band Sleep bassist Al Cisneros, and began as a duo consisting of him and Sleep drummer Chris Hakius. Known for their droning meditative and mystical sound OM has explored global spirituality, incorporating aural and visual representations of religious and spiritual concepts from all over world, though they are most notable for their fascination of Hindu, Islamic, and Judeo-Christian themes, taking the listener on a "celestial journey."

Emil Amos replaced Chris as OM's drummer in 2008. In 2009, Robert Lowe joined as the band's guitarist, and Tyler Trotter replaced him in 2018, and thus the band is now a trio. The band is known for their extended jams and long-form improvisation during live shows. In 2007, they famously performed at a bar in Jerusalem for over five hours. According to Al Cisneros, they were in a "different space" after visiting the Jerusalem holy sites.

OM started out as a stoner doom band, featuring elements from drone metal and psychedelic rock. Their first two albums showcased songs that were at least 10 minutes long, heavy, repetitive, and droning, incorporating ethnic chanting. Their third album, "Pilgrimage," shortened some of the songs and featured more traditional song structures, while their next two albums, "God is Good" and "Advaitic Songs," toned down the amount of metal/rock in the music and focused more on the ethnic sounds, putting Middle Eastern and Indian compositions at the forefront of their music.

https://omband.bandcamp.com/album/god-is-good
https://facebook.com/om.band?wtsid=rdr_0KeCscyWIcTxSMsoL

Replies:

Posted By: yam yam
Date Posted: September 14 2024 at 17:59

Only the last track of the 'God is Good' album is enabled for streaming on Bandcamp.

Here are the albums 'God is Good' and 'Advaitic Songs' on YouTube Music and Spotify:

'God is Good':

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_no14j-uIxvbgFN24O34cGsLXWJsBhzggY" rel="nofollow - https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_no14j-uIxvbgFN24O34cGsLXWJsBhzggY .

https://open.spotify.com/album/1szFUm5XD1zsoeP94NQOQh" rel="nofollow - - https://open.spotify.com/album/1lJn3Ku809KZKTS3411iTT .

Posted By: bardberic
Date Posted: October 14 2024 at 00:07

It's been a month... anyone have anything to add about this one

Posted By: Captain Midnight
Date Posted: October 14 2024 at 13:16

Would love to see them added, been a while since I've listened to Om but I think they'd be perfect for Indo/Raga

Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: October 14 2024 at 14:16

I find Om proggy enough to be included in PA, but concerning the genre, I think that they're mostly considered as Stoner Metal/Rock.

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quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond

Posted By: yam yam
Date Posted: October 14 2024 at 14:33

bardberic wrote:

It's been a month... anyone have anything to add about this one

They were added to the PSIKE chart for evaluation in the first instance about three weeks ago, but only one of the three active team members has voted so far, and the vote was 'Time', meaning that he's not entirely sure at the moment which would be the most suitable sub genre (Indo/Raga or Psych/Space). For the record, they were rejected by the Prog Metal team circa 2008/9 based on their first three albums, though one team member did vote 'move'.

Two of those earlier releases ('Conference Of The Birds' and 'Variations On A Theme') can be heard on a https://omholymountain.bandcamp.com/album/conference-of-the-birds" rel="nofollow - different Bandcamp , and the third album 'Pilgrimage' can be heard on yet another https://omsl.bandcamp.com/album/pilgrimage" rel="nofollow - different Bandcamp .

Posted By: bardberic
Date Posted: November 20 2024 at 07:31

Say it's been over two months? How's this one coming along?

I just found out the band is working on a sixth album, so that would be great to have them here for when that time comes!

Anyway, you should pay attention to the drumming on Advaitic Songs, as it's really progressive... sounds like what a classic prog drummer would do most of the time to be honest... I LOVE how it's done. The bass playing is pretty proggy, too (as is the whole album). Frankly I think Advaitic Songs alone should be enough for their inclusion, tbh :)

Posted By: yam yam
Date Posted: November 20 2024 at 12:11

^ One 'yes' vote, one 'no' and one 'unsure'. The band is currently being discussed by the PSIKE team. Someone from that team will most likely post an update here when they finally reach a decision.

Posted By: David_D
Date Posted: November 20 2024 at 13:22

I would put them in Prog Related.

-------------
quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond

Posted By: Gordy
Date Posted: November 25 2024 at 13:03

yam yam wrote:

^ One 'yes' vote, one 'no' and one 'unsure'. The band is currently being discussed by the PSIKE team. Someone from that team will most likely post an update here when they finally reach a decision.

So while I didn't notice the OP's disclaimer until just now, I, too, ultimately came around to Om based on their two most recent albums, particularly Advaitic Songs.

https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=12854" rel="nofollow - Added to Psych/Space Rock.

Posted By: bardberic
Date Posted: November 25 2024 at 18:03

Gordy wrote:

So while I didn't notice the OP's disclaimer until just now, I, too, ultimately came around to Om based on their two most recent albums, particularly Advaitic Songs.

https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=12854" rel="nofollow - Added to Psych/Space Rock.

Okay, great, I'll take it :)

Was hoping for raga rock, but this is acceptable, too

Posted By: Gordy
Date Posted: November 25 2024 at 18:19

Would you be able to help adding studio albums?

EDIT: Never mind, I see you're already on it. Thank you.