Omens - 3OH!3

This album is long overdue.

Originally set for a release in December of 2012, Omens was pushed back until June, for reasons unknown. The singles leading up to the album showed promise, from dark party wobble-infused "Do or Die" to alternative-pop anthem "Youngblood". Needless to say, I was anticipating the albums release greatly. When the album was released, I found it on iTunes, hit the download button, plugged in my headphones, and proceeded to sit and listen my way through the Deluxe edition of 3OH!3's latest record.

Something I had noticed was that, before purchasing the album, I listened to the demos on iTunes and despite how many times I've been wrong, I made judgements of songs based on those previews. On my first listen through, I noticed certain songs, that I had originally labeled as not that great, were actually quite good, to my surprise. Some examples of this are songs like "Black Hole" and "Make It Easy". "Black Hole" is an interesting take on singing about a girl who draws you in, layered with big and gritty synths and various sounds that bring to mind 80's aliens movies, while "Make It Easy" is a pop anthem through and through, more lighter in tone and sound, and ready to make a crowd jump up and down with it's upbeat nature and bright synths. Another track that is like this is "You're Gonna Love This", which brings to mind LMFAO with the heavy dance influence of high synth lines and pulsing beats.

Even though there is a tendency for the songs to lean towards having a dance influence, (thankfully) not all of the songs are bright and clean sounding. Songs like "Do or Die", "Hungover", and "Eyes Closed" give off darker and grittier tones than some of the other songs on the record. All three of these songs include wobbles of some sort (I would say dubstep, but some people are picky and get offended by that, so I'll refrain). Some people would say that this means that 3OH!3 is selling out and going mainstream by just following trends, but it's not like the guys in the group have ever tried to be indie or hipster; they make songs for the radio and that follow the current trends. I like that they embrace the current popular sounds, but they still make it sound like 3OH!3. "Hungover" is somewhat pop sounding, but I think it has a heavier tone due to the drums in the verses and the Skrillex sounding chorus of pulsing and wobbles and dancey stuff (I know, I'm very sophisticated sounding). "Eyes Open", which is possibly my favorite song off the album, is the heaviest and grittiest song on the record. It has fantastic contrasts, from the almost empty chorus into the breakdown/verse sections, which sounds huge and dark. I love their choice of synths, and the slight effects they put on their vocals. It is reminiscent of the days of Want, especially since they yell most of the raps, which is what they used to do. It sounds hard, and is extremely refreshing next to all the pop anthems. Also, I was impressed, as always, with their intro song, titled "Omens". They have a knack for making solid intros for their albums, and this one was no exception, with a great use of strings to help the big sound.

Now, besides the bright anthems and darker wobbles (I like using that word in this review), there wasn't really any slower, more mellow songs, which I was hoping for. The closest we get is "Back To Life", which is a sad song about the party being dead and bringing it back (it sounds stupid, but the song is great, I promise) and "I've Become", one of the bonus tracks and a surprisingly well done self-reflective song. Both have explosive chorus' driven by big synths, but the verses are where the feeling and realism come out, especially in "I've Become", which sounds bitter and a bit disparing. It is easily one of my favorites off the album though, because it feels much more like a work of art than some of the tracks. Granted, I like the album and enjoy most of the songs, but there are some that just didn't work for me. Songs like "Two Girlfriends", "Live For The Weekend", "Go F*** Yourself", and bonus track "New Girl" just didn't rub me the right way, for various reasons. "Two Girlfriends" has a poor choice in lyrical content, and the instrumental doesn't impress me or catch my attention. "Live For The Weekend" seems like an immature song about (surprise) partying, drinking, and girls that could have been written by high schoolers. "Go F*** Yourself" sounds like an attempt to rip off Cee Lo Green's "F*** You", and also seems immature. "New Girl" is boring lyrically, and sounds like it was pulled out of the 80's.

Now, that may sound harsh, but it is just my thoughts. You can take them or leave them. Overall, however, I enjoyed most of the songs on the album, and even though it wasn't their best, it was another solid effort from the boys of 3OH!3. 3.5/5

Tracklist:
Omens - 1:37 (5/5)
Eyes Closed - 4:40 (5/5)
You're Gonna Love This - 3:32 (4/5)
Black Hole - 3:28 (4/5)
Make It Easy - 3:58 (4/5)
Youngblood - 3:24 (5/5)
Live For The Weekend - 3:53 (3/5)
Back To Life - 3:46 (5/5)
Hungover - 4:07 (5/5)
Two Girlfriends - 2:56 (3/5)
Do or Die - 3:59 (5/5)
Slow Motion (Bonus Track) - 3:47 (4/5)
Go F*** Yourself (Bonus Track) - 3:06 (3/5)
New Girl (Bonus Track) - 3:22 (3/5)
I've Become (Bonus Track) - 3:12 (5/5)