The best hour on a summer’s day lies somewhere just before sundown. Away from the sweltering midday heat, it is a peaceful time. The sky can stun you as it casts shades of pink or burnt orange, the air is calm, and life feels easy.
With his debut album ‘Entropy’, David Omlor taps right into this magic moment. He’s created an album that incorporates many elements of Americana – but all the roads lead to visions of hazy, humid nights in the Sunshine State of Florida.
From the first track – Let You Know – lush production and shimmering, cascading guitar licks take the listener straight to a veranda somewhere in the Everglades. It’s worry-free music.
Entropy is an interesting title. Collaborating over the web, David managed to bring in talented musicians from across the states to create a project that sounds hopeful, not hopeless. He’s mentioned how he locked himself away to record this during ‘the complete insanity of 2021’, but this album is buttery smooth, not increasingly disordered.
Maybe it’s an extension of the sentiment in ‘Falling All Apart’ – a standout track. It counts itself as one of the more sentimental jams. The lyrics of a failed relationship are tinged with knowing sadness, and the instrumentation is equally tender. The verses almost sink into the chorus as the whole song slips downstream. Light touches of electric organ and sparkling hi-hats play well in the background, as a sweeping lead guitar accompanies David through the track.
‘Truth’ is another track that tackles heavy elements head-on. The lyrics were born from a ‘dark hour’ poem – free verse poetry David began to write before bed, hoping to expel dark thoughts and settle frequent nightmares. Guitar licks crackle from further back in the mix, like dry lightning over plains, bringing the track to more of a meditative state.
I’d want to compare the project to someone like Jason Isbell, but it’s not really as gut-wrenching (a good thing, depending on who you ask). It’s closer to the summery sound you find on some Cowboy Junkies hits (tracks from ‘The Caution Horses come to mind). Overall, it’s an excellent soundtrack for coming out of this confusing, often dire-looking, year. Entropy offers a warm, delicate feeling of hope, which is best paired with those beautiful summer evenings.
If you want to find more from David Omlor, you can follow him here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminRoadMusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/djomlor
Website: https://davidomlormusic.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/djomlor
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/2M5qfWXOwj7wysYePv8ca9?si=nDYtleVlQpaOu-K2S5fSiA
Words by Nathan Makalena