He Said Omala/HALO - Catch Supposes/Immanent

Home

Released
1997

Label
World Domination

Reviewed by
Michael C. Lund

Visit

Last Edit/Update
30 January, 1998

He Said Omala/
H-A-L-O

CATCH SUPPOSES/
IMMANENT

Track Listing

He Said Omala

1. Bedeck-a-neck
2. Sea Horse Trading
3. An Itch
4. Solid or Vanish
5. Water Tight Seal
6. Post Code Orange
(Video Edit)

H-A-L-O

7. Skip the Sausage
(at the terminal hotel)
8. Two Too State
9. Smart Material Love
(waves)
10. Answer to Your Question
11. Eclipsed

          World Domination Recordings has released two projects involving the ex-Wire, Wir, and Dome member E. Graham Lewis. The projects in question are a collaboration with Swedish ambient/industrial band Omala, under the name He Said Omala (to which a follow-up remix album is due in the beginning of 1998), and Lewis' solo project H-A-L-O -- originally released on the Swedish label MNW Zone in 1995.
          Common for all the six tracks on the He Said Omala release is the slowly evolving quality of the compositions, and their spacy, trancy atmospheres. The vocals (which appear on all but "Water Tight Seal") are conversational and narrative in nature, performed in a deep male voice that meanders in and out of the soundpicture. Most of the songs rely on pulsating bass-heavy percussional loops with a funky edge, and, as such, He Said Omala's sound is well-suited to the alternative dancefloors. However, the harmonic and 'ambient' facets of CD, the richness of detail and constant mutations of the various musical elements, as well as the thoughtful and warm lyrical qualities of the vocals, also make Catch Supposes a worthwhile listen for those less inclined to get physically involved in music.
          The songs released under the H-A-L-O banner are generally shorter than those by He Said Omala, and, of a more conventional cut. The vocals are similar, but their delivery ranges from discreet whispers to piercing song. The arrangements are more busy and layered, and a greater variety of instrumentation is employed, ranging from a funky dance-oriented song with strong 'world music' influences like "Two Too State," to "Answer to Your Question" which begins with celestial atmospheres and ends in an unexpected noise fest.

worlddom.gif (6950 bytes)