The Omens - Send Black Flowers




Having previously reviewed two 7"singles from the band, I was pretty psyched to come across their full-length long player at Streetlight Records for $10.  Swirling, pure on charging nitro-fueled bursts of classic garage rock is the name of the game here and in that regard it's near flawless. These guys share the same area code of all the classic bands you can name, The Seeds, the Sonics, the Standells. Go on, name more, you'll find it all here. Melodies that don't quit you until long after the song's over, organs swirling around the beat like an incoming tide, fuzzed out Rickenbacker guitars, lost 1960 backing vocal "Ah ha's," and a lead voice that carries the whole thing as effortlessly as a helium balloon taking flight. Oh yeah, and let's don't' forget that propulsive drum beat and crashing cymbal engine that propels this baby with the best of them.

Imagine Jan and Dean locked in a garage with a Sonics record collection for eight years, having to play their hearts out to get fed and you'll get the feeling of "Look Away," an absolute delicious gem of melodic retro-sixties garage pop. "Gonna Be Alright," is that same band after being told that despite the promise, they weren't gonna get out. Now they're pissed, snotty, and ready to eat their own instruments. A hyper adrenaline blast of nasty-fuzzed guitars flame under the lyrics "I'm so sick and tired of waiting for you." Glorious in it's punk energy and unbridled attack. Another true gem from a band that seems to have more of em than the local jewelry store.

If you dig the mad, "psycho" style of garage rock then this album is definitely worth checking out.

Sorry no video or bandcamp page that I could find.


 --Racer


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