|
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
|
|
|
|
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
|
|
American Analog Set
Promise of Love\r\n(Tiger Style Records)
By Brian Abrams
A crisp drum beat snaps forward, and keyboards shriek in trance-inducing repetition. It’s just the type of electro build-up expected from, say, Stereolab, right before the band bursts into a power-chord frenzy. Yet after about two minutes of high-note hypnosis (and as we anxiously await the sonic boom), American Analog Set’s Promise of Love turns the corner on us. It slows down and softens up. A tambourine chimes in from left field, and keyboardist Lisa Roschmann’s sedative whirrrrrs mark the beginning of a string of breezy ballads, perfect to lock and load in the c.d. player and dream. The sublime flows the whole way through this, the Austin quintet’s fifth disc.
Not to worry, though, Andrew Kenny’s whispery babe-magnet vocals bear no likeness to the pretty-boy, pop-rock pinup sound so popular at sorority mixers. His voice is both masculine and understated, and, with assistance from Mark Smith’s muted percussion work, which includes spacey xylophone echoes on a couple of tracks, it indeed conjures visions of desire.
This AMANSET disc falls short in one respect, however — length. Eight tracks, clocking in at 39 minutes, 19 seconds. That’s barely enough time to wind down with a round of cocktails. Still, the sounds of American Analog Set will complement any c.d. collection, lady-killers’ especially.
Email this Article...
