Om, "Conference Live"

While Conference Live does not come near to representing the true live sound of Om (mainly due to the amplification limitations of any home stereo), it is a huge step up from the miserable-sounding Live at Jerusalem LP that emerged last year on Southern Lord. That recording’s muddy sound quality turned Al Cisneros’ and Chris Hakius’ thunderous roar into a tinny yawn. This time, the music is clearly defined and has buckets of body to it. Sound is not the only change, Emil Amos from Grails is now beating the skins instead of Hakius. It is a big change but Amos fills Hakius’ drum stool most capably.

Important

Having missed out on the first release from Om’s new line (a 7” as part of a Sub Pop subscription series that sold out quicker than I can type this sentence), I was apprehensive as to how Amos would fit into Om considering his playing in Grails requires a completely different approach to drumming compared to drumming with Cisneros. Any fears I had dissipated within seconds of the album starting. Emil grooves along with Al’s distinctive bass with a natural fluidity that makes mockery of the fact that the duo have only been playing together for about a year. Starting with “Flight of the Eagle” (the track listing is reversed compared to the studio album), Cisneros and Amos go straight for the jugular. Emil has a more forceful and punchy style of playing, each hit sounding clear and tight compared to Hakius’ gentler touch. One thing that does bug me a little is that Al’s voice sounds a little burned out (but based on the clouds of smoke coming from his direction during a concert, this is no real surprise).

On the other side, “At Giza” sees the group quiet down as Cisneros goes into his more mantric style of singing. This song gives both Emil and Al room to play around with the arrangement than the relentless surge of “Flight of the Eagle.” Amos punctuates his steady beat with some tasteful fills, trading moments in the spotlight with Cisneros’ hypnotic bass playing. Here “At Giza” is more contemplative than previously documented, even the final few minutes where the overdriven bass kicks in lacks the fierce power than before. It took me a while to get used to this (that overdriven bass bit being my top Om moment) but it works well if not as mind blowing as I am used to.

Conference Live is a solid live album but at the end of the day, it does not come close to the original studio recording or indeed capture the body massaging power of the actual concert experience. However, it is a nice teaser for what to expect from Om’s forthcoming studio album God is Good. If a two piece band, especially one where the two members have worked together for so long, can undergo such a massive change in personnel and come out this strong on the old material then I high hopes for their future recordings.

This album is currently vinyl only so unfortunately no sound samples at this point in time, apologies!