Album- Omens
Artist- 3OH!3
Electronic music doe 3OH!3 really hit the big time musically
speaking with their top ten hit Don’t Trust Me back in 2008. They then followed
this up with two great collaborations with female pop stars Ke$ha and Katy
Perry. However the groups career has seemingly taken a slight dip lately, as
the group have not produced a Billboard Hot 100 charting single for the past
two years. So is this a bad record from the duo, or is this an album that
deserves more commercial success?
Track 1- Omens
Opening track Omens is the records title track and acts as a
short musical intro from 3OH!3. The track is purely instrumental at first and
features a frenzied electro pop beat that builds in sound and is a little reminiscent
of 90’s club anthems. The track then changes in sound a little to this more
heavy bass level with some stirring strings that gives the opening number a
cinematic tone, with the ominous vocal stating of the band’s name adding this
further cinematic element to the track. A potent and strong way to open the
record and a track that makes you feel as if this is going to be a powerful
record from the group.
3.5/5
Track 2- Eyes Closed
Keeping with the frenzied electro pop tone of the previous
track, this song features the band giving us another track that really builds
in sound. The track lyrically focuses upon the group telling us that something
comes so easily to them that they can do it with their eyes closed, with the
rap styled verses of the track making cultural references that firmly
establishes the songs ideology. The song is very Auto Tuned, and although this
adds an ice cool element to the song that makes them seem like a forceful duo,
at times the Auto Tune just feels like they are trying to cover up the poor
qualities of the raps. However the intensity of the songs production makes up
for the lyrical content and vocal in that the sound as this almost eclectic and
vibrant quality that sees the band melding these gritty electro beats with some
heavy bass, before giving the track this epic end through the use of an
orchestra and a piano melody that builds in a way that makes you think that the
band truly mean what they are saying.
3.5/5
Track 3- You’re Gonna
Love This
The records lead single, You’re Gonna Love This finds the
duo going back to a similar style to their hit single Don’t Trust Me in terms
of the energetic quality of the track and the slightly silly references to
famous people. The song finds the group picking up this girl at the bar and
then giving us some details of what happens afterwards. The tracks lyrical
content is silly and flirtatious, and is balanced nicely in terms of the verses
having this forceful edge but the chorus just having a slightly lighter and
cuter flirtatious element. The track is also catchy in terms of the deep, monotone
way that the songs title is spoken, being both creepy and cool at the same
time, and so making the track more interesting. The Auto Tune heavy vocals will
divide opinion among people, but the production of the track is strong and fun,
with clattering drum beats, dance floor ready beats and fast paced techno
rhythms that will get you jumping and moving around to just have fun.
3.5/5
Track 4- Black Hole
Featuring a heavy, almost dubstep like beat that makes this
a really forceful track, this song finds the group in full on I am an awesome
dude mode. The lyrics of the song feature a further array of cultural reference
and simply is all about the guys telling other guys not to hate them for
getting with their women, and also featuring some typical partying references.
The song then focuses on the idea of the guys being seduced and this being a
bad but good thing in the chorus. The track lacks the catchy lyric quality of
the previous song , however the dark element of the song is intriguing, and the
vocals are less heavily Auto Tuned here and so have a bit more of a charismatic
quality. The song is also really great in terms of the production, with thundering
beats and gritty electro bass line making the song just feel really aggressive
and attention grabbing, with the middle section breakdown being a cool moment
that makes for a strong finish.
3.5/5
Track 5- Make It Easy
Make It Easy features more of a simmering, building energy
at first and finds the duo in more of an emotional state of mind. The song
finds the guys telling us of how they have been the sufferers of heartbreak and
how people have tried to heal them, with the chorus focusing on how they wish
that this heartbreak could just be made easier. The track works well in how the
verses are more hard hitting whilst the chorus portrays this delicate persona.
The lyrics are nice but feel slightly too clichéd, and the vocal performance of
the track feels to polished with the use of Auto Tune and so lacks that true
emotional quality that is needed for a song like this. Once again the sound
keeps your attention and nicely balances out the quality of the other
components, with the punchy dance beats and clattering electro rhythm creating
this light sound that nicely elevates the lyrics in a way and makes the song
just a touch more emotionally driven.
3/5
Track 6- Youngblood
Things are brought back to an even lighter and more wistful
feeling tone for this electro pop tune that lives up to its title in terms of
being a potential anthem for young people, and it is the group’s first of two
collaborations with producer Greg Kurstin. Lyrically the track finds the duo
reminiscing about the past, but they are going to just go out and rock the
night whilst they are young. The song has a catchy hook driven quality within
in the chorus, but the lyrics feel clichéd. Furthermore the vocal style of the
track also feels clichéd, with the shouting quality of the chorus being too
obvious in trying to convey the message, whilst the use of Auto Tune means some
of the songs passionate quality is gone. The production is strong in the way
that it builds from the initial piano melody and soft electro swirls to this
clattering heavy bass driven sound that is forceful and impactful, but yet as a
whole this song isn’t enough to really get you excited when you’re young.
2.5/5
Track 7- Live for the
Weekend
Live for the Weekend is a party jam where the guys are just
going to live their lives up. The song lyrically finds the guys telling us of
partying for the weekend and how they are fine with their drink and their
girls, whilst other guys seemingly can’t compete with them. The song s lyrical
quality once again feels clichéd, but the song overall as this element of
silliness that makes things quite appealing, with the simple structure of the
lyrics being a positive quality for the song. The duo also just come across
more as fun loving guys within the track and so this is more of a positive
party song, although they do slightly border on being egotistical. A snappy and
simple electro pop production accompanies the song, and so although this will
never be the go to party jam, it is a light and inoffensive, sort of fun tune.
3.5/5
Track 8- Back to Life
The second Kurstin collaboration, this track finds the duo
giving us slightly more of a dark electro pop song that is underlined in the
chorus by this hopeful frame of mind. The song is lyrically based in the idea
of the duo being able to bring the party back to life, and the lyrical content
is good in the way that it can be seen as both being a typical party song but
can also be a metaphor for saving a broken relationship. The singer’s vocals
are kept light and simple, with the use of Auto Tune being a little stripped
back and less annoying, whilst the vocals also have a touch of fragility about
them that makes the song more attention grabbing. Some of the lyrics are
annoyingly clichéd, but Kurstin provides a snappy, bass heavy sound in the
production that is smartly framed by the use of a piano in the intro and the
outro, and so this is definitely a more successful collaboration that shows a
different side of the groups, if only slightly.
3.5/5
Track 9- Hungover
When you hear this song it is quite ridiculous: this is
because the duo’s vocals are so heavily Auto Tuned that they come across as a
completely different group and just sound annoying. The song focuses on the
guys having a hangover and suffering with this girl because the can’t remember
things. The only interesting thing about the track is the breakdowns of the
post chorus sections, with the electro pop sound becoming vibrant and attention
grabbing, but it is not enough to actually make you feel like this is a good
track in terms of the lyrical and vocal content.
3/5
Track 10- Two
Girlfriends
With slightly more of a rock feel than the other tracks, Two
Girlfriends is a feisty number that focuses on the duo as players who have got
their comeuppance. The tracks chorus focuses on the idea of having two
girlfriends but now having none because the second girlfriend found out about
the other. The chorus has a catchy simplicity about it, whilst the rap sections
are fast paced and have this weirdly charismatic and cool quality. The vocals
are kept simple and the Auto Tune is stripped back so the duo don’t sound
annoying. The dj like swishes and clattering drumbeats of the production give
the song this old school vibe and adds diversity to the record, making this
more of a standout track.
3.5/5
Track 11- Do or Die
Opening with a moody electro bass line, the final track is a
lively electro pop tune that is a final crack at the guys creating an awesome
party jam. The track is all about the idea of doing things for the fun and just
living as if you are going to die. The message is alright but with the use of
the raps and the idea of the night it just feels clichéd, whilst the chorus
lacks appeal because of the use of Auto Tune. The message of the track is
brought out nicely by the forceful nature of the production, with the heavy
electro beats and dubstep like rhythms creating this aggressive sound that is
cool but at the same time a bit too powerful. The final minute of the track
that builds to a crescendo is great, but overall it is almost like this final
track is given to the listener to say the band are about partying and can
really party, they just can’t quite make the epic music to go with it.
3.5/5
Final Review
3OH!3 are a fun loving duo that create electronic rock
driven tunes that are based in the idea of fun and partying. The sounds of the
song are powerful and blend together well for a cohesive record, but overall
the album suffers because of poor lyrical content that feels bland and clichéd.
Furthermore, the group really needs to get rid of the use of Auto Tune, or at
least tone it down, as more often than not it just comes across as annoying and
makes the group feel lifeless. They could have more chart success, but they
seem like a group determined to ruin themselves musically.
4.5/10
Best Track- You’re
Gonna Love This
Worst- Youngblood
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