Al Cisneros got a haircut, Chris Hakius morphed into Emil Amos (pictured above), and Robert Lowe of Lichens sat in on guitar, keys, and percussion. Om is very different now than they were when they last played D.C. Some growing pains were evident as the sound was rough and some of the pieces seemed a little sloppy. Still, with Cisneros staring wide-eyed at nothing while slamming his palm against his bass and Amos bashing the skins as gleefully as Hakius used to, it’s hard not to be transfixed by this band.

More photos after the jump and at the full gallery.

Read More “Photos: Om @ DC9″ »

Sometimes, when you’re bogged down in the day-to-day grind of terrestrial life, sipping a Starbucks coffee and idling in traffic, it’s easy to forget that we’re all just standing on a tiny fleck of rock floating aimlessly through an incomprehensibly vast cosmic void.

Which is why it’s good to keep a few Om records around. When it comes to invoking thoughts of the infinite, the California-based bass-and-drums duo is second only to Carl Sagan.

In part, this is because Om’s songs are really long. At 19-minutes, “Thebes,” which opens the band’s just released third LP, God is Good, is so epic that it to puts most takes of “Dark Star” to shame. But some credit should also be given to bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros—stoner-rock’s answer to Alice Coltrane. His devotional chanting and endlessly unspooling low-end elevate Om’s music beyond the realm of mere fuzzy-headed riffage and into the realm of sensual, spiritual thinking.

Om w/ Six Organs of Admittance, Lichens
@ DC9
1940 9th Street, NW
9 p.m. $14

OM: “Cremation Ghat”
After three albums of nothing but bass, drums, and Sufi poetry, California stoner-mystics Om had just about smoked their schtick down to resin. But the duo’s latest release opens the door for a few collaborators. “Cremation Ghat II,” from the forthcoming God is Good uses tamboura, tablas, and strings to flesh out an Eastern groove, allowing the band the chance to escape the box–or hotbox–that they’ve been gotten stuck in.

Gary Higgins: “Demons”
When it comes to difficult sophomore albums Gary Higgins’ Seconds probably sets some sort of record. It took the Connecticut-based singer/songwriter more 35-years to follow up Red Hash, his dark and moody 1973 psych-folk classic. But “Demons” proves that time has not worn away Higgins ability to craft haunting baroque folk tunes. Nor has it softened his outlook. “We both traveled hard/ now you drive a Mercedes Benz,” sings Higgins. “I get to light your cigar/and glue back your phony tri-star/and puke in the trunk of the car and not really give a damn. ”

Liam Finn & Ed O’Brien: “Bodhisattva Blues”
Apparently Radiohead’s Ed’Obrien loosely adapted this song, taken from the 7 Worlds Collide benefit compilation, from a Tibetan chant. What he doesn’t mention is that the monk who originally wrote it was actually just John Lennon disguised in a habit. It’s nice, though, after nearly a decade of post-guitar Radiohead, to hear Ed O’Brien crank out some skronky Bends-era riffs again.

OOIOO: “Uda Hah”
Boredoms drummer Yoshimi P-We returns with her just-as-good-if-not-better solo project OOIOO. “Uda Hah,” from the group’s upcoming record Armonico Hewa uses tick-tocking guitars and squishy electronic noises to frame a multiple-drummer rhythms section. This band spent its last couple of records–Killa Killa Killa and Taiga–wandering in and out of a fusion-jazz nebula, but if “Uha Hah” is any indication, they’re back on solid ground.