Arvio

The neo-celtic group Omnia, this time playing as a four-person group, still sounds very much like itself. The songs are light folklore and folklore-based pieces, often with very dominant vocals. The melodies are very catchy and the artists clearly know how to do their work. A nice addition to the mix is the sense of care in writing things down for the public, up to and including the manufacturers of each instrument.

The more I listen to Omnia, though, the more apparent its artistic problems start to become. A disturbingly high number of the tracks, despite being either the band's own or traditional material, create instant comparisons to the works of other artists. Such as "This seems very Hedningarna-like" (Pagan Polska) or "Didn't Clannad have an intro like this?" (Tine Bealtaine). When into this mix is added the sense of popular accessibility (even though Omnia doesn't take that too far), the music enters a very dangerous area. Far too often they place their bets on one single melody at a time. The subtle variation which especially formally trained folk musicians often use to display their virtuosity and keep up interest is unfortunately too often absent in Omnia's songs. The catchy nature of their songs and the good use of vocals of course make up for it, but this time it's not as successful as on Live Religion. The differences are especially apparent when the band starts using a more rare rhythm pattern (like on the very fine Lughnasadh) or plays with the structure of the themes used, the music starts moving on a much higher level. This just doesn't happen often enough.

Pagan folk clearly shows how much more Omnia could actually accomplish. They have a great talent in grasping their audience into the feel of the music, but in the long run that won't be enough. As it is now, Omnia is of course still an enjoyable listen, but I can't help thinking how much stronger their music could be, if they'd add a bit more variance to it.

Jiituomas

Omnia - Pagan Folk

Tällä kertaa nelihenkiseksi laajentunut uuskelttibändi Omnia on edelleen hyvin itsensä kuuloinen. Kevyehköjä uuskansanmusiikkiteoksia, joissa on usein mukana hyvin hallitsevat vokaalit. Melodiat ovat tarttuvia ja soittajat osaavat selkeästi hommansa. Ilahduttavana lisänä on se huolellisuus, jolla asiat on kirjattu, soitinvalmistajia myöten. Mitä enemmän Omniaa kuuntelee, sitä selvemmäksi kuitenkin alkavat nousta yhtyeen taiteelliset ongelmat. Häiritsevän suuri osa kappaleista, vaikka ovatkin yhtyeen omia tai trad., on sellaisia, että ne tuovat välittömästi mieleen muiden yhtyeiden tuotannon. "Onpas tämä Hedningarnan oloista" (Pagan Polska) tai "Clannad käyttää just tällaista introa." (Tine Bealtaine).	Artisti: Omnia Formaatti: CD Levy-yhtiö: omakustanne Julkaisuvuosi: 2006 Kokonaiskesto: 49:35 Kappaleita: 11
Kun samaan pakettiin liittyy tietty populaarius, vaikkakaan ei hirvittävän pitkälle vietynä, saavutaan hyvin hankalalle alueelle. Liian usein lasketaan yhden melodian kerrallaan varaan. Se pieni hienovarainen variaatio, jolla varsinkin koulutetut kansanmuusikot osoittavat virtuositeettiaan ja pitävät mielenkiinnon yllä, on aivan liian harvoin Omnialla mukana kuvassa. Puutetta toki paikkaavat niin tarttuvuus kuin laulukin, mutta eivät lähellekään yhtä hyvin kuin esim. Live Religion -kiekolla. Eron ennen kaikkea huomaa siitä, että heti kun yhtye siirtyy käyttämään harvinaisempaa rytmiä (mainio Lughnasadh) tai leikittelee teeman rakenteella, liikutaan saman tien aivan eri tasolla. Tätä vain tapahtuu liian harvoin. Pagan Folk osoittaa selkeästi sen, miten paljon parempaankin vielä olisi rahkeita. Yhtyeellä on hieno kyky tempaista yleisönsä mukaan, mutta pitkällä tähtäimellä se ei yksin riitä. Tällaisenakin Omnia on toki mukavaa kuunneltavaa, mutta en voi välttyä ajattelemasta sitä, miten paljon voimakkaampina senkin kappaleet olisivat voineet pienillä lisävaihteluilla olla. Jiituomas

Takaisin - Kokoelmat - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - R - S - T - U - V - W - Demot

The neo-celtic group Omnia, this time playing as a four-person group, still sounds very much like itself. The songs are light folklore and folklore-based pieces, often with very dominant vocals. The melodies are very catchy and the artists clearly know how to do their work. A nice addition to the mix is the sense of care in writing things down for the public, up to and including the manufacturers of each instrument. The more I listen to Omnia, though, the more apparent its artistic problems start to become. A disturbingly high number of the tracks, despite being either the band's own or traditional material, create instant comparisons to the works of other artists. Such as "This seems very Hedningarna-like" (Pagan Polska) or "Didn't Clannad have an intro like this?" (Tine Bealtaine). When into this mix is added the sense of popular accessibility (even though Omnia doesn't take that too far), the music enters a very dangerous area. Far too often they place their bets on one single melody at a time. The subtle variation which especially formally trained folk musicians often use to display their virtuosity and keep up interest is unfortunately too often absent in Omnia's songs. The catchy nature of their songs and the good use of vocals of course make up for it, but this time it's not as successful as on *Live Religion. The differences are especially apparent when the band starts using a more rare rhythm pattern (like on the very fine Lughnasadh) or plays with the structure of the themes used, the music starts moving on a much higher level. This just doesn't happen often enough. Pagan folk clearly shows how much more Omnia could actually accomplish. They have a great talent in grasping their audience into the feel of the music, but in the long run that won't be enough. As it is now, Omnia is of course still an enjoyable listen, but I can't help thinking how much stronger their music could be, if they'd add a bit more variance to it. Jiituomas*