a r t i s t : Amp
t i t l e : US
d a t e : 2005
l a b e l : Very Friendly
c a t : VF012CD
s o u r c e : CDDA
g e n r e : Indie
r l s. d a t e : Oct/2006
t r a c k s : 10
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 79,2 MB
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US is the latest release by the UK's foremost sonic
subversives. Clearly not just for old friends, these 10 songs
hold their broadest appeal to date. Of course Amp are as
fiercely experimental as ever, collaging eccentric drums,
pumping bass and twisted guitar textures with voices and
street sounds collected during a recent sojourn in the states.
But there is a new intensity here, both emotionally and
politically. Ambiguously titled, US tackles both personal
relationships and their relationship with America. This is Amp
at their most tender and angry, passionate and poignant.
DonÆt be scared by the dense nocturnal cityscape of 'Opening',
listen on, there are many delights both dark and sweet in
store. 'Get Here' is a rush of pure post-punk adrenaline,
singer Karine Charff's voice sensually nonchalant and teasing
in sharp contrast to the political rage of the words sheÆs
delivering. 'Implosion' tugs at heartstrings with its theme of
fragility in love and life. Dreamy but never saccharin, the
prettiness of its acoustic guitars and hypnotic washes of
Farfisa organ never quite dispels the underlying sense of
menace. 'Yousay' builds from jagged fragments of guitar to a
song-monster possessing the epic scope of prog but with the
pomposity gene removed. There isn't a lazy moment here.
Extremes are juxtaposed û from the calm-before-the-storm
reverie of 'Will You, I'm Lost' to the sassy sax and driven
punk-jazz of 'Endgame'. Multi-textured and multi-layered, US
has taken Amp to new heights both of accessibility and
abstraction.
This album features alongside Richard Walker (aka Richard Amp)
and Karine Charff: Marc Challans (Fraud), Ray Dickaty (ex
Spiritualized), Donald Ross Skinner (Julian Cope/Kiosk).
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01-Opening [05:54]
02-Get Here [04:52]
03-Implosion [05:32]
04-Yousay [07:25]
05-Lopsided [03:09]
06-Think Dont Think [03:33]
07-Level Devil [04:13]
08-Will you,I'm Lost [03:22]
09-Endgame [11:27]
10-Iconisis [07:01]
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56:28 min