This week I listened to ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST by Osees. This is Osees latest release, and one that I was excited for as I have been a longtime listener of the band. The title refers back to their 2015 album Mutilator Defeated At Last which is one of my favorites, so I took the title as a sign that they might be moving back to something a little closer to that sound. For the past few years, they moved in a punky and synth heavy direction that, while made some good music at times, has not really been my favorite work that they have put out. While not a direct return to an older sound, this stands a bit of a middle ground between their more progressive/psychedelic music and their punkier music. There is a constant high energy throughout the whole album, which shows the punk aspect of the sound. This doesn't mean there is room for interesting instrumentation and even a little bit of some jams in there. This album, as all the other albums with this lineup have, show off how good all the band members are at playing their instrument. Their 2 drummers are just out of control the whole time and it is great. I'm glad this album let them show off with some more complex grooves, as opposed to the more "boneheaded beats" as band leader John Dwyer has called them in the past. One thing I wish of this album is to be produced in a different way. The band is still in their dry, punk production era it seems, when I think something that leans more into the psych aspect of their sound should have a little bit more space in the mix. I suppose it makes sense with the amount of energy the whole album has, but it makes it sound really compact. I especially wish that the drummers would be panned stereo again, they can sound a little mushy at times because you have 2 drummers playing at the same time in mono. Overall this is a great improvement over the last couple albums, and I am excited to see them explore this sound more. 8/10
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