Album Review: "New Misery" by Cullen Omori

New Misery

When the days are dark and there's no hope, what is your first move?

For me, it's to immerse myself in something else that helps me understand the feelings and take my mind off of them.

Music is a great way of handling that, whether it's relaxing in my upstairs sitting room listening to vinyl or enjoying the soundtrack of my iTunes while playing a video game in my living room.

Music, and any art for that matter, has an amazing ability to help me deal with my internal struggles. It would be nice to say that there aren't ever struggles in my life or my brain.

If I said that though, it would be the biggest lie of my life. Finding hope where from where there is none is an amazing feeling that will reverberate and imprint onto your soul permanently.

Cullen Omori

Cullen Omori is beginning phase two of his musical career.

Formerly a member of the Smith Westerns, but as they broke up in 2014, it is time to move on and do something new.

If you're a painter and your company goes belly up, it's prudent to find another job and paint different houses is it not?

However, being a member of a band is far different from just being an employee, though it is a job, no matter what anyone else says.

The implosion of a band is a happening that one can only truly understand when it happens to them. The more accomplished the band, the worse the feeling.

When my band dissolved we had less than modest success after a few  years, but we had a body of work that had to be chucked and started again.

It never worked out for me again honestly, but I lacked talent and drive.

In this album, Omori acutely reveals the crossroads of his career. The dissolution appears to have struck, but didn't knock him down. Though, somewhat melancholy, there is hope hiding in there as well.

Clinking, metallic sounding chords coexist with fuzzy guitar solos and tenor vocals. Aside from the alt-pop conventions, a portion of country and western swing appears from time to time. A clever use of a Hammond Organ and Leslie speakers adds a layer of beauty to this album.

With closed eyes, it's easy to see the man looking forward just after looking behind.

Release: 3/18/16
Genre: Alt-Pop
Label: Sub-Pop Records
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