OMG: A Prayer on Mansions Best of the Bees

Mansions take the commandment-breaking, name-in-vain OMG and use it as a prayer of poignant honesty on the textism-named first track on the latest album, Best of the Bees. It’s a collection of B-sides from 2008-2009 released by the emo-laden band of one out of Louisville, Kentucky. (When recording, Mansions is Christopher Browder; he’s joined by Sal Cassato and Ryan Davis when playing live). Available as a pay-what-you-want download, Best of the Bees is worth plunking down a few coin.

“OMG” picks a foreboding acoustic guitar to begin the prayer which could’ve been inspired by the Apostle Paul’s struggle in his letter to the Romans, with Browder singing, “My body is the enemy;/I don’t feel the way I should.” After the simple chorus, “Oh, my God,” the second stanza breaks in with harder guitar and drums, as the self-awareness grows more dire: “My body is the enemy;/I’m up to nothing good;/I’m drinking ’til I’m empty.”

After a more intense chorus, an electric lead guitar rings in an instrumental bridge of despair. Pulling back a bit for the third stanza with a hopeful chiming guitar, the lyric leaves us “sleeping in a box of wood,” but the prayer is the last word. Perhaps there’s more to this life after all. The chiming guitar is that perhaps.

Mansions
Doghouse Records