Stephen O’Malley – But remember what you have had Album Review

Today on Logan Sounds Off I am sharing an album review of ‘But remember what you have had’ by Stephen O’Malley. Stephen O’Malley is an American musician who is also a member of the famous drone metal/experimental duo sunn o))).

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Dissonance and assonance…

Stephen O’Malley is an outstanding artist, because his experimentation in the fields of drone as well as avant-garde music is something to behold. This stands true on his latest studio album ‘But remember what you have had’ as this album is a fantastic listen. Stephen establishes dissonance and assonance, and weaves them together spectacularly.

I found this album to be a particularly interesting listen, because as pieces go, it is quite long at a monolithic (by some standards) 34 minutes, however as an ‘album’ experience, this is a short yet thorough performance, that is dense and easy to explore – which is really cool.

Credit: Stephen’s Bandcamp: https://stephenomalley.bandcamp.com/album/but-remember-what-you-have-had

As someone who has recently been intrigued by not only Stephen’s work as a solo musician, but as a musician as a whole, I am very interested in this album, because it both showcases Stephen’s drone metal sound like when playing with the group sunn o))) (Stephen and Greg Anderson) as well as different aspects of his creativity showcased on music like the new single from his upcoming studio album.

Although this is a long song, I feel like it is an amazing listen, as it develops into many different parts, such as the deep ambience at the opening moments of Side A, to the darkness and sheen to the final notes, that although absent of echo, do echo in your mind.

I can’t describe any emotions regarding this album, as it is so diverse, however I will say this album goes between warmth and harshness, as well as beauty and confusion. It is a really strange but approachable piece that I think does need to be listened to by music fans, as we can learn a lot from Stephen’s amazing skill of capturing the precise moment to either let the drone churn, or to throw us another curve ball.