OMNI
SOUVENIR
SUB POP RECORDS
Omni have released their fourth studio album, Souvenir. This comes five years after their last album, Networker. Souvenir is a post-punk album held back by its lacklustre and, at other points, horrible vocal performances.
The opening track, “Exacto”, is an interesting but nice representation of all the stumbling and missteps that consume this album. It has some nice lyrics and an interesting laid-back attitude with its instruments. What keeps it down is that, despite its interesting lyrics on paper, they translate poorly with the vocals, making the experience quite dull. Despite this, the production quality is excellent, resulting in an overall mixed and disappointing experience.
To be more specific, Souvenir is an album that gathers many compelling elements but loses them with the vocals, which dull the mind at every turn. Almost every track presents us with the same problems as the opening track. If I had to pick one theme, it would be as if outtakes or demos made up an album. There are some nice tracks, but most seem clumsy. Even worse, the tracks suffer from a high sense of repetitiveness, with some tracks sounding too similar in style. The band’s potential is evident in each track, yet they fail to utilise these ideas effectively. The production is the standout element, and it has an overwhelming hold on this album. It is the key that holds too much here, to the point where the cracks in every aspect of it quickly implode themselves.
Souvenir is a work with a lot to say but finds no place to say it. It attempts to create sound and nice vocals, but it falls apart for the lack of focus on lyrics and the terrible use of vocals. It attempts to be punk in style, but it loses the spirit that has guided punk for years, and instead of taking it in a new direction, it falls apart easily and quickly. It’s a box with nothing inside.
Overall, Souvenir suffers from weak vocals that feel disconnected and simple tracks that feel like wasted potential, revealing a dull attempt at a fourth album.
Artist Links
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: OMNI – SOUVENIR
Christopher Patterson
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BLUE ÖYSTER CULT – 50th ANNIVERSARY LIVE – THIRD NIGHT
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CRACKER – ALTERNATIVE HISTORY: A CRACKER RETROSPECTIVE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LEON RAUM – BASEMENT MEDITATION
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SAINT ETIENNE – THE NIGHT
