Experimentation is something that I praise very highly in any sort of band whether they be new or old, experienced or as fresh as could be, or having only dipped their toes in one style versus constantly trying new things in other projects. Elder was a band who’s discography shows them getting better and better, almost exponentially so, by the time we arrived at “Reflections of a Floating World”, but it was last year that we got a real surprise. With the humble EP of “The Gold & Silver Sessions”, Elder came to us a much more psychedelic, laid back approach that was not something I think any of us expected, and I still fucking love it! So, finding out that Elder would continue this direction that blew a whole new world right open for the already ambitious and talented act. With as much grace and sleekness as possible, it’s with “Omens” that the transition is done virtually without flaw.

Just witnessing Elder’s rise from their debut to grand works that people still heavily praise like “Lore” and the aforementioned “Reflections of a Floating World” is a trip all on its own, but I feel like we all knew there would be a turn in the road of their creativity sooner or later. We simply never knew where it would lead with many preferring them to keep their sound essentially the same while others, myself included, are far more than content to see Elder experiment at their own pace. They’ve already proven themselves to be far more than capable musicians, so why not see them have some fun and try something new? We really got a glimpse of that in absolute spades with “The Gold & Silver Sessions” which gave us an instrumental psych-rock look into what felt like an alternate universe version of Elder in the best possible way. Going into “Omens”, it was a real toss-up in guessing if Elder would try and make a bridge between their past style to this more krautrock-esque style or just go all in with the psychedelia that’s far more clean than anything they’ve put out before. Somehow, they found a way to bring both of those together and make it work spectacularly.

Much like every Elder, the only real problem I have with this album is that it doesn’t go on long enough despite all of the five tracks here stretching from just seconds below ten minutes to over twelve, but, again like every album from them, Elder makes it work fabulously to a high degree. In a lot of ways, this is both an album that shows Elder both in transition to a new style (that’s if they’re planning to go even further into the rabbit hole, I’ve no fucking clue) as well as showing them neck-deep in a style that they’ve already somehow practically mastered on a level that makes “Omens” a delectable treat no matter how many times I leap into it. Each track has a significant identity to it no matter what way you look at it from, and it’s with a fusion of krautrock with subtle influences of jazz that make this one of the most uniquely spicy Elder record to date. I honestly expected some clumsiness here and there throughout “Omens” but Elder obliterates any potential doubt I had by the very rhythm of the first track, and the entirety of “Omens” is just a gift that keeps on giving. Whether it’s through some psychedelic grooves that lull you into a colorful escape out of life, funky tunes that can feel a tad clumsily put together but have real life of its own, or a gorgeous work that locks you in place, there’s very little doubt here that Elder didn’t succeed at every turn here. It’s truly an album to lose yourself in, and Elder knows damn well how to capitalize on such a concept to the highest degree such that it shows beautifully no matter how you look at it.

They could’ve easily dipped their toes into the higher plane of psychedelia that they’re going for while toning down their heaviness, but Elder managed to gel both of those worlds of old and new pretty damn well and it shows magnificently. It’s with “Halcyon” in particular that we see the shift done flawlessly while it’s also the title track and “In Procession” that show us how well Elder is pulling off the vastly different sound with “Embers” going even further in a slightly different direction, and I’d be incredibly remiss to not say that Elder didn’t pull it all off. There have already been multiple works of psych-rock that have graced us with more yet to be dropped, and Elder immediately shows us with “Omens” that, like always, their material is something to be heralded from beginning to end and this work should absolutely be one of the best albums of the year. Whether or not this signals a major turning point in Elder’s sound or just a fun little shift for the sake of experimentation and just trying something different, there’s no convincing me that “Omens” is anything but worthy to be a great Elder album.

LISTEN to the single, “Embers”, on Bandcamp here.

PRE-ORDER “Omens” via multiple sources here.

LIKE Elder on Facebook here.