So I made a pledge on these here pages not to mention a certain island nation that neighbors Australia that produces a lot of odd yet warming pop music. So I promise to stick to it even when the artist in question hails from said nation. Because this isolated, reverberating 8-inch plump on 8 minute tracks per side has little to do with the same lush, open landscape in which it was birthed. It helps that the eponymous “Ohno” is actually a soothing drone created from an Indian instrument the tanpura. Though the tonal tendencies occasionally cross into the exotic, it often holds steady in a more modern repose. Slightly more akin to worn out Lululemon than authentic robes and shawls, but none the less more centered and spiritual that the host of suburban women adopting Yogi couture. “Death to Kali” is done with the very traditional pipe organ, placing Meek’s second piece further away from some Donovan trip. This is Ravedeath Hecker and not solely based on the the instrument of choice, but in the even-handed use of harsh tones atop a gentle melody. A wind whipping through the green valleys to the scenic beaches. No, I made a promise and I will keep it. But it helps when said nation really has not one discernible musical identity but myriad ones. Meek proves that inspiration goes beyond his surrounded home and his time spent touring the rest of the world truly makes Ohno a global experience without the filter of where his passport says he lays his head.
More about: Noel Meek
