OMIE WISE

I was eminently impressed by the band's debut EP already. One aspect at first, this new album, released four years later, again proves that Prog and Mellotron are practically unseparable. That was my initial impression. This five-piece band hailing from Portugal delivers wonderful touching melodies here. Everything is headed by Miguel Santos' charming singing voice. A considerably melancholic yet cinematic mood. Hereby the eight songs are provided with a lot of balladesque moments. When being rather dominant, not my favourite in general. But this is worked out with so much care, atmosphere, sensibility, that I'm really really impressed. 'Wind And Blue', a suitable album title. Whilst listening to this in continuous loop, let me imagine a mild early evening, sitting on the balcony together with some dear fellows, a glass of red wine in my hand, enjoying the spectacular view over the sea towards the horizon. Aaaahhhhh!

And so, initially, I'd like to name the first two songs Arrroyo and Crown Flash, because being rather representative for those aforementioned impressions. The Boy And The Wind then sees them making pace for the first time. Finally, towards the end, they even prove their capability to rock the boat really. And so this is avoiding to appear single tracked in the end. Just to highlight the tricky Reap The Whirlwind too, that comes somewhat different. A nice swinging jazzy opening with silky electric piano, but then occasionally the whirlwind comes up, excellently set into a musical expression. Clappies! This album grows with every new round. These guys know how to make sensitive music. Predominantly psychedelic folk tinged, with moderate wind instrument support, and hints from bands like Tame Impala, Gazpacho, or Anubis maybe.

Although OMIE WISE have released a new album 'To Know Thyself' in 2019, which by the way is their first full-fledged effort, nevertheless that initial EP remains my band favourite so far. The six involved musicians hailing from Portugal are delivering a priceless atmosphere over the course of 25 minutes. I'm always overwhelmed when listening. Less is more, once again confirmed. The title track comes as a minimalistic dreamy opener, fading into the follower Existence then, which shows fine expressive vocals for the first time, delivered by Miguel Santos.

What comes later on is a flow consisting of ups and downs in mood and expression, simply gorgeous. It's hard to find the right words. Eduardo de Almeida provides fantastic organ and Mellotron input overall, the two guitarists Fábio Pinto and Rui Brito are caring for richness in acoustic and electric. The compact album finishes with a dreamy mood again. After several years of acquaintance this music touches me very very much, without slacking off. To sum it up, OMIE WISE actually have thrown out a masterpiece of Progressive Rock in 2017, just at the very beginning of their career.