Ombak – Fan Bricks

After two years of anticipation almost to the day, Richmond’s own Ombak will release their sophomore album, Fan Bricks tonight, Wednesday May 4th at 10pm at Balliceaux. The album is only available for digital download, but the band will be selling limited edition posters at the release party that contain download codes on the back.

May 4, 2011; 5:59 AM • by Aaron Williams

Album design by Cary Ralston on top of a Suzanna Field’s painting.

Ombak
Fan Bricks
(Self released, 2011)

Ombak is the brainchild of trombonist and composer Bryan Hooten, but Fan Bricks takes the band’s collaboration a level beyond their first album Framing the Void.

Pop in the record (or in this case, open iTunes), and you may immediately notice a few things. Breaking the tradition of Ombak, Bryan Hooten did not pen every tune. The first notes heard are Trey Pollard’s ethereal guitar. Before long the band joins in full force and sets the tone for the album: aggressive.

The first track is the only pre-released material from the record. “River Tam” has been on http://ombakmusic.com/ for two weeks. It is the pure essence of Ombak in one track. In only four minutes, the journey includes a full range of emotions that build into a heavy multi-metered groove. The uneasy climax transforms into the relaxed ending so smoothly that the change goes unnoticed.

Listen to “ River Tam “
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/RiverTam.mp3|titles=River Tam|artists=Ombak]

The band, which spends more time playing bars than quiet listening rooms, has no reservations about playing loud and playing angry, but this album is not all of about “the stuff.” It is the bands development of negative space around “the stuff” that should make it a permanent resident on your daily playlist. Unlike the first record, the shadows around the obvious are more often explored in the improvisations than the compositions. Brian Jones leads the charge with his ever creative playing that seamlessly constructs and deconstructs, chases and flees and tells a story.

The second tune is “Megatron” or originally “Megatron Wants What is in My Mind.” Only a rhythmic sketch scribbled down before a show, Megatron is Ombak at its most simplistic level. After the head, each soloist has the freedom to play anything and it is special to hear how Trey Pollard, Cameron Ralston and Brian Jones react.

Trey Pollard’s compositional voice is known in Richmond, but “Harmonica Shopper” is the first time that it is documented by Ombak. The gyrating melody leads into an impressive tenor saxophone solo by J.C. Kuhl, Ombak’s newest member and reed player. He lights a fire on top of a heavy groove that slowly frays into space. In true Ombak fashion they reconstruct the groove and recap the melody on the way out.

“Hammer” starts as a duet between bass clarinet and trombone but after two minutes, the rest of the band joins in on a blues. The blues is far from normal. Using only quarter notes, Hooten masterfully manipulates the simplest harmony on one of the simplest forms into a masterpiece.

Next comes Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman.” While the tune is executed masterfully, it is slightly disappointing. The band has established a tradition of incredibly original music and for the first time this slows their momentum.

Ombak has a different personality in the studio. Microphones enable the nuances and complexities of Hooten’s timbral changes to be captured and heard. Every detail of his playing from the multiphonics on the track “Fan Bricks,” to his plunger mute solo on Lonely Woman to the beauty of his normal sound on every track.

Ombak not only avoids a sophomore slump, but they logically expand on their debut record that earned exceptional praise including five stars from Style Weekly. Play the albums back to back and it just makes sense. The new record certainly expands with its heavier grooves and stronger improvisations but there is continuity. Like their first record Framing the Void, Ombak’s Fan Bricks is a must have for any serious listener in Richmond and beyond.