AMPLIFIER

I've heard about many comparisons made about this band: mainly OCEANSIZE and PORCUPINE TREE. What I hear in the first tracks is a connection with the Dutch 35007, instead. The heavy distorted guitar is very similar to the sound of the Dutch heavy-psych band.

The crescendo of noise on "Motorhead" is very similar to the 35007's "Tsunami", given tha main difference the fact that this song has lyrics, and when they sing they can effectively remind a bit to PT or even other heavy-prog bands.

Also "Airborne" reminds me to 35007, again the album "Liquid". This track is even more similar to "Tsunami" than the previous. It's likely a coincidence due to the fact that both the bands are making heavy psychedelic music, but listening to this song I can easily confuse Amplifier with 35007, at least until they sing as the voices are quite different, surely less Dutch...

"Panzer" has lyrics and is more similar to the debut EP of 35007. I have to say that both Amplifier and 35007 have some of Ozric Tentacles in the instrumentals.

"Old Movies" is the first non heavy song with guitar harping, slow drums and some loops. When the distorted guitar enters in the chorus they remind a bit to Porcupine Tree. However any reference is just to describe the music, the band is original enough and this is a very good song.

"Post Acid Youth" is opened by a bass solo. I remember an old Joy Division's song with similar sounds. This song has a little flavor of new wave, but I can't remove 35007 from my mind.

"Half Life" starts with a sequence of chords reminding to Beatles, just more distorted, but this song doesn't sound like anything else. It's rock, they are not inventing a new genre, but I can't think to any other artist to relate to this song. It's a good rock song coming from the past with new fresh sounds applied.

"Drawing No1" can seem Floydian but, again, listen to 35007's Liquid to find something very similar.

"Neon" is opened by a U2 like guitar and drums. Luckily they change quickly. I don't like U2 at all (I'm probably one of the few, I don't know). This song is quite dark, imagine Radiohead playing with the singer of Coldplay (for the falsetto), but paying attention to the instrumental part only will show you that it's not effectively so different from the other tracks of this album.

"On/Off" is the most Porcupine Tree song of the album in terms of vocals, but the obsessive guitar behind, even though on major chords has a Krautrock flavor.

Heavy sounds are back with "The Consultancy". In this song I see echoes of Beatles of the psychedelic period. One of the best album's tracks, very energetic.

Probably on every psychedelic album there has to be at least one song that sounds "Floydian". "Drawing No2" is the one. Bass and keyboards to setup a relaxing ambient, then sliding guitar and drums, finally some dissonant noise of a "saucerful Of Secrets" type and the gapless transition to the following track "One Great Summer". This is a song that could remind even to Mostly Autumn as well as to bands like Phideaux. I had several impressions from this song, even Hogarth's Marillion.

"UFOs" is a good closer. Psychedelic and spacey based on bass harmonics.

The overall impression is that this band pays more attention to the compositions respect to the often mentioned 35007. Their work is made more of "songs" than of "jams". This is a very promising debut, not totally psychedelic, maybe but full of good music in any case. Having rated Liquid with 4 stars I can't rate this one less. Looking forward to their more recent works.