by Charles Davis (@LosDoghouse)
Beyond the skyline, across the galaxy, a fermented sun sets on Omeed & The Natural Scene's Pickled Dawn. An album of abstract and cataclysmic beauty, looming heavily on the horizon (as is relative to these modern times), one need only reflect on themselves before entering. Forests, flora, fauna, songs of rock and stone, oceanic wonder - humans. A place where mother earth and father time meet to discuss the finite/ infinite, and our expanded existences; this is where we are residing.
Pickled Dawn sits in a sonically organic space of elemental folk, jazz, & the avant-garde. One might envision a Phosphorescent performance of Syd Barrett songs arranged by Sun Ra. Guitar-driven lushness offers the listener guidance, as inventive & intriguing harmonies navigate the greater audial journey. These vocals and violins explore and blaze the lavish territory around and betwixt the Western 12 note system; blue note and near-note polyphony creates uniquely profound and resonant frequencies, the likes of which are singular to this music. Ecologically friendly rhythms - bass and drums - swing like pendulums, orbiting the center of their relative systems, full of character-driven honesty. There is a refreshing gesture towards humanism here - a welcome offering of reality's depths in a world of grids and metrics.
'The casual softball career has become a monster, killing all the free time that we could spend together'
On the far side of the broader climate and orchestration, each track individually unpacks a great deal of its own accord - repeated listens may be recommended in order to truly digest the expanse of the compositions. This is a peak mood of calm, calculated experimentalism; a rendezvous for the planning and the wandering. Perhaps, most importantly, there is an underlying sense of optimism coursing throughout. This sanctuary in the tempest offers enough daring hope to make it through another day, and is likely something many might benefit from in our specific moment. This is a welcome mood, and all in all, a truly dazzling gem of a record - muchos gracias & congratulations to Omeed & The Natural Scene for Pickled Dawn.