CRONICAS DEL VIENTO

OMNI dates from the 80s, a symphonic orchestral group à la Camel see Genesis incorporating ethnic Spanish folklore from which Oldfield emerges; tangled keyboards and guitars, a double album composed in 2009 which finally arrives.

CD1: 'Intro' (Levante in calma) aeolian wind and wandering on land; the guiding guitar with a camelian air, an invitation to a bluesy symphonic journey. 'Crónicas del Viento' on a hint of Floyd, Manfred Mann with sax, calm atmosphere at the start then twirling guitar, very good. 'La Espiral' sung... you have to prepare for it, with fat flute and military anthem drums, a sympho melody groove and a fusion of jazzy genres. 'Los Recuerdos del Unicornio' rock base sung again but fleeting voice because the sound is more than enough; folk and/or country guitar; the camelian solo melting with Mick Rogers. 'Sa Foradada' suite with bewitching guitar solo. 'Dos Orillas' oldfieldian background, some tell me but stop saying 'it looks like'...it is so; bucolic, a pastoral folklore with Al di Meola, Tangerine Dream from the 80s and an oriental melodic fusion at times. 'El Árbol y la Lluvia' where the keyboard is intended to be cinematic on a BOF of video games, fresh and catchy. 'Danza de los Vientos' floating on a spleen cloud, the vocal wakes up aggressive in my opinion before a jazzy-prog-bluesy return.

CD 2: 'Imad el Marino' Andalusian cinematic arabic, Oldfield blood but not only of course; this keyboard is just divine. 'Cruz del Picacho' continues on the rhythmic air, dry aerial percussion, a slow pro-symphonic orchestral declination. 'Primera Luz del Amanecer' the harp keeps watch; intimate, dreamlike, search for Arabized new age sounds and journeys; the second part launches into a mandarin dream declination where the guitar wants to be surly, comely; the best title in my opinion. 'Terral' more symphonic and melodic, like a flight of notes leading to sub-Saharan contemplation, the one that captivates, not the one that exasperates, still very good. 'Tormenta de Arena' or the percussionist interlude between Macias and Ruiz to wake up from this dreamlike dive. 'Tras el Puente' as an explosive finale, more floydian for the synth keys, twirling, traces of Olfield and Banks emerge, but it is Omni at the helm.

OMNI released an album that would have been all the rage a while ago; it's very beautiful, well led, well structured but where the bottom hurts is that it irremediably refers to the old sound; for prog rock lovers who still want to believe in that bygone era, technique, groove, fluidity; length, repetition, beautiful but...long; for those who like to take the time, it's for you, to dream, to imagine on your Camelian and Pendragonian memories; a melting pot stirring delicate symphony. (3.5)