Omega CD

It's a sad but true fact that original pioneers of any art form often age badly, softening up as they engage less and less inquisitively with the world around them or, worse, get stuck treading the same water they did 15 years ago to much lesser effect. Anyone wishing to level that criticism at Robert Hood should check out Omega. A concept album which aims to soundtrack the 1971 film The Omega Man which haunted Hood as a child, Omega is an edgy, anxious record which ably mirrors a dread filled world. From shadowy, glitchy depictions of being chased through a dark, derelict city ("The Workers of Iniquity") to paranoid, frenzied and disorientating cuts like "Saved by the Fire" via the spaceship take-offs, broken beats and trademark snappy snares of "The Wheels of Escape" or the eerie, suspended tension of recent single "Omega (End Times)" you can't help but get emotionally entangled in this album as it plays out. Of course, Omega must be digested whole for maximum effect. But equally, heads down techno hustles like the nervy "Think Fast" beg to be played loud; in a pitch-black, sweaty club; somewhere free from distraction. Wherever you hear these dark, prophetic sounds, though, they never fail to monopolize your mind. Available in a whopping 3xLP + CD package.

People Get Real, Juno Recommends CD Albums, Wire Magazine, Future Beat Alliance, Groove Magazine, Tomorrowland 2010