Music A.M. was formed in the early days of 2002 when
Luke Sutherland, a former singer and guitarist with
Long Fin Killie, now fiddle player with Scottish post-rock/noise
outfit Mogwai, joined forces with Düsseldorf-based
Volker Bertelmann, one half of electronic pop duo Tontraeger,
whose first album, Spieleabend, was released
on Ace Records last year. After recording a few tracks,
they realised they needed some more textures. Stefan
Schneider, who ordinarily officiates in Krautrock-influenced
To Rococo Rot,
and also releases music as Mapstation and Kreidler,
happened to pass by. Invited by the pair, he listened
to the demos, went home to grab his bass, and returned
to the studio to start giving Sutherland and Bertelmann
a helping hand. Almost imperceptibly, he became the
third member of Music A.M. and the trio’s first
album, A Heart & Two Stars, was on its
way.
Floating somewhere between ambient electronica and post-folk,
with elements of alt. country and pop delicately inserted,
this album collects a series of poetic vignettes without
sounding aesthetically pretentious. Mostly keeping their
compositions between two and three minutes long, with
the album clocking at just under forty minutes, Music
A.M. focus on keeping their songs simple. As elegant
melodies develop over pastel backdrops, Sutherland’s
soft-spoken vocals tell strange little stories of cartoon
baddies (Black Flash), twisted girl/boy relationships
(Big Wheel, Mascara) and B Boys and gangsters
(Ecstasy) with complete detachment. All the
way through, Music A.M. draw delicate pictures through
gentle tuneful lines, with guitars, bass, drums, xylophones,
keyboards and voice pirouetting around each other in
the way young lovers cautiously dance, too shy to touch
each other. Sometimes, the trio seem more assertive,
as on the stunning Supercharger, but they quickly
retreat to the warmth of their sonic den. Alternating
instrumental and vocal tracks with consistency, Music
A.M. play with nuances and impressions, creating an
effective atmospheric environment for their compositions
to develop.
This first album from Music A.M. combines the diverse
influences of the three band members, yet is very focused
and consistent. Slightly melancholic, with an undeniable
cinematic feel, A Heart & Two Stars is
lighter than could be expected, and an altogether superb
release.
4.4/5 |
