The Amateurs -'Hongu Kongu' (Letterbox)
So, an independent band from Scotland. Must sound like either twee indie-pop or jangly quiet-loud, surely?
No.
This impressive debut, from Edinburgh's Amateurs take's the gentle alt.country sounds of Lambchop circa Nixon, adds a hint of fifties rock and roll and tops it off with the magic pairing of the voices of Seth Chanas and Ina Hanisch. You will not find twee-pop here, but a warmsounding record that grows on you with every listen. There is an eccentrivity at work here, that adds a uniqueness to their sound. To search for bands to compare them to is ultimately to clutch at straws. Their are many highlights here, including 'Dry eyes' and 'The Water Of Leith Song' that deserves to become part of this city's heritage. Occasionally the results are a little exasperating - 'Mustard' seems like an uneasy pairing of Tom Waits and The Reindeer Section, but overall this is an intriguing debut. Letterbox Records have found another winner.
****
Hongu Kongu will be released on september 10th on Letterbox Records.
It can be pre-ordered from here
This is the recent download only single:
Amateurs -'Things You Only Know If you Don't Drive.' mp3
Amateurs -'Cool By Me.' mp3
More Amateurs mp3s can be found here
Their MySpace is here and their website is here
1 comment:
..and this appeared on their MySpace site:
Here's another album review - this time by blogger 17 seconds. Seems to have got Sarah mixed up with Ina but gave us 4 stars so we forgive.
http://www17seconds.blogspot.com/2007/08/album-review-amateurs.html
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