OMUMO
OMUMO Sampler
(OMUMO)

OMUMO is a Washington, DC-based independent record label founded in 2015 by American multi-instrumentalist/producer/songwriter Brad Atefi. From Vin Mariani’s album, Death to Ocean we start with “Maze” featuring warbly, distorted vocals and plucky string sounds. Brad Atefi, Chance Dickerson, and Sireen Jawdat bring us in with their strong lyrical assurance here that no matter what happens, everything will be all right. Oxindol’s “The Beginning of a New Era” is based around Atefi’s expert percussion, soft whooshing sounds and slightly sad single-key notes with later arpeggiated guitar lines. “Last Call” from Spring Hill Carryout has a good 70’s groove to its electric piano, harmony vocals, and woody, snapping back beat. It’s a great tune, really. “Gbd” from Mamas Boiz, grooves just as much, with a ton of echo on the vocals, as again we get Atefi, Dickerson, and Kelley playing. “The Fall and Rise of Ocean Man” from players The Artist Formerly Known as Ocean Man is, yet again, Atefi, Dixon, Kelley and the addition of Rodrigo Sarlo on guitar. A real big Americana tune (whatever that term means), we get roiling acoustic, deep key lines, with just the right atmospheric strikes, and vocals that mine a Lou Reed vein, at least at the beginning. Later, things change into acoustic guitar strums with a big drum beat, then folk hootenanny revelry, wild guitar leads, and finally an electric piano ending. Let’s face it, what we mainly have here is Brad Atefi exercising all his sonic interests (as well as being the album’s producer), but the OMUMO sampler is good, semi-varied stuff overall.