Omni
Networker

With such a neutral and almost anonymous name, Omni is certainly not an easy band to track down. Try typing these four letters into search engines!

Yet these guys have quite a pedigree, with members like Frankie Broyles, already involved in projects such as Deerhunter and a nice pair of solo releases. After a handful of lo-fi releases, the band has decided to refine their formula a bit. The sounds are less "Portastudio" and more "Studer" (those who know, know!) acquiring more depth and dynamics compared to past releases. Lo-fi is a particular aesthetic taste, a bit like Seadas, a typical Sardinian dessert. Some people like honey with sheep cheese, and some just can't stomach it! For me, the dirt and low definition are aesthetic choices that can work very well in certain contexts, and I think Omni have made good use of it so far. However, it's also right to change a bit, and I think it was a wise move to try to make an album with a sound that is certainly not modern, but definitely more refined and perhaps appealing to a wider audience (without invoking the blasphemy "commercial!”)

Despite the more embellished production, Omni doesn't lose that sense of naturalness that seems to come so easily to artists who record their music without worrying too much about separation and definition.

“Networker” is an album that truly has a big apple flavor, even though the band comes from Atlanta. It takes you from the early Strokes to the jagged guitar riffs of the first Television. If you close your eyes you can almost see the magnetic tape spinning, the small combo amps pushing the guitars into saturation, never too dirty, but just enough to hold it all together. There will always be those who say that there’s not much original in this formula: it's been done, it's been said. I instead say: who cares? Omni convince me a lot in their way of interpreting rock and roll. They refer to the most visceral attitude of the genre, but filter the image through large nerd glasses, as if Elvis Costello had drunk a few too many Red Bulls before hitting the stage. If you're looking for an album that makes you feel like you've discovered a treasure in an old box of vinyl forgotten in an attic since the '70s, this could be for you.

If, on the other hand, you don't like bands that blatantly refer to the past, this probably won't change your mind!