Caught in the Carousel

Oh My God

The Night Undoes The Work Of The Day
Split Red

Oh My God

Rallying from marital strife, spousal illness and a horrendous van crash while on tour, the members of Oh My God emerge from the wreckage of a terrible spell with what might very well be the album of their career. Their seventh effort overall, The Night Undoes The Work Of The Day is awash in sentiment, humor and poignancy. Produced by Jim Tullio (John Martyn, Rick Danko), the Chicago band sound smooth and relaxed, cruising through the ten numbers here with loose limbed virtuosity. The breezy "My Adventure" and the soulful "My Prayer" bring to mind Sonia Dada; the melodic "Bring Yourself" is an exercise in humility and "(I Don't Think It's Funny) How Time Slips Away" rails against the ephemeral nature of everything from weather to a fleeting first meeting. Core members Billy O'Neill (bass/vocals) and Ig (organ/vocals) have the kind of harmonic symbiosis that suggests everyone from Difford and Tillbrook to Strummer and Jones and their harmonious union is one of the great musical partnerships around. Elsewhere, there's an agitated take on The Fixx's "One Thing Leads To Another"; "My Juliet" is an aching apology for a love gone wrong and "Strangers On A Train" suggests perfect strangers can only remain perfect if they never get to know each other and pass like beams of light on separate roads. The Night Undoes The Work Of The Day is loaded with sadness and stirring meditations that are informed by questions of longing and mortality, but Oh My God have figured out a way to find the humor in all this serious stuff. For example, in the night hustle of "Baby, Dream" O'Neill admits to being, "...a gun-shy white guy who's short on money" and later he observes a girl who "plays the bass guitar like Sting: minimal." This is powerful and knowing work, fueled by a big, big heart and tons of hope.

—Alex Green