In The Zone With Zomes
A household name in Maryland’s metaphysical realm of melodic sedation and rapid-fire fundamentals, Asa Osborne is a true legend among the state’s fervent fans. Effortlessly surpassing the cosmic community built on the remnants of the psychedelic scene from the 1960s and the vibrant punk movement that birthed bands like Void, Osborne began his journey in expressive sound with an early contribution from the pre-Lungfish outfit Reptile House, before establishing, alongside Daniel Higgs, one of the most influential bands to have emerged from the scene. Releasing a substantial body of work that set the serene tone of the 1990s with droning rhythms and profound poetry from a creative genius, Osborne solidified his iconic influence within the band while continuing to endure nearly four decades later with the brilliant group Zomes. The band released its self-titled debut in 2008, further distinguishing him as a force of total creative energy. Exploring themes of basic ritual and sonic sophistication, Zomes disrupts the eager silence of space by preparing the expansive vessel with ample time for a journey into the vast unknown. Performed and recorded entirely by Osbourne directly to a tape recorder, the album sedates the listener’s soul by cosmically conquering the damaged pathways between the heart and the holy connection of an absolute spiritual awakening.
Photo: Shaun Flynn
“A lot of people mention the “L” word when talking (or whispering) about Asa Osborne. It’s not Lungfish we’re talking about here (he was their guitar player), but rather “Levine,” as in Keith Levine. It seems Mr. Osborne witnessed a fight with Keith Levine as one of the combatants. Levine subsequently lost a tooth and—this is the strange part—Osborne grabbed it and has used the tooth as a guitar pick ever since. Weird. ”
Released on the legendary Portland, Oregon-based label Holy Mountain and engineered by the great John Golden, who worked on titles such as the late Warren Zevon’s infamous debut “Wanted Dead Or Alive,” Relatively Clean Rivers, Iggy Pop and countless others, Osbourne captured something incredibly magical on the Zomes debut that has anatomically aged like a fine, whispering wine. With tracks like “Crowning Orbs,” “Peace Patterns,” “Coloured Matter,” and the album’s pristine ender “Near Unison” provoking profound storms of the mind, Zomes embodies a holy ground of reincarnated romance into various realms of the afterlife that can not be replicated or reproduced once its been manifested. Relying heavily on atmospheric alchemy and prophetic patterns, the album’s meditative core confesses into a vacuum of translucent temperatures, its darkest secrets of just how complex the universe is.
