L'Amour Invisible by Amp
Following their Space Age Recordings debut live release Sain Cecilia Sinsemillia (2000), the reinvented AMP (Richard Amp and Karine c. Olivier Gauthier) picks up the delicate pieces and runs with them snugly tucked underarm. “Crazyhead” is a character biopic like a lazy haiku and opens this sultry set. This, their sixth studio recording, includes pop-friendly “Curious Smile” which blends Astrud Gilberto with Creatures overtones. “Where Was When” harkens the wary angels customarily found in the center of a stray Throwing Muses sleeper complete with stressed guitar work and above ground fretting vocal. There is a signature here, maybe profoundly conceptual, that links this band to the label that boasts such other players as Spectrum and Experimental Audio Research. The breathy “Glasshouse Jam” (co-penned with Jan Zert) pairs a Reich-like piano line as the last breath of half-dangling nymphs plead in tongues of lost nations. Keiko Sugiyama’s cover art for L’Amour Invisibleis a striking and textural miasma of microscopic highlights of frayed soft fabric landscapes. It is an insightful, immediate union with that which its package contains. The theremin sounding bellows of “Junkyard Blues” is a sad investigatory piece that uses sound to envelop a dark space, with chains, warble and a hint of Lost In Space. “Go” closes the disc, overcome with illusions of ambiance. This is a mysterious release by a band not egocentric enough to avoid their past collaboration with such electronic experimenters as Robert Hampson (Main). Nor are they too proud not to hide a secret unnamed track far into the finale here… I’ll let you hunt – but let’s just say its worth its overbearing weight. AMP are too cutting edge to be mid-career – so rest assured that you will be blessed further into the future by these pioneers of shallow rhythmics.
Tracklist
| 1. | Crazyhead | 5:52 |
| 2. | L'Amour Invisible | 4:53 |
| 3. | Curious Smile | 4:27 |
| 4. | How Can We Be Sure | 2:51 |
| 5. | Where Was When | 4:45 |
| 6. | Glasshouse Jam | 6:43 |
| 7. | It Ain't Easy | 4:30 |
| 8. | Love Flies By | 5:00 |
| 9. | Junkyard Blues | 4:56 |
Credits
License
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Amp is an electronic post rock band formed by Richard F. Walker (aka Richard Amp) in 1991, after a 2 year hiatus Amp resurfaced with French vocalist Karine Charff, and a succession of collaborators.
Karine left the band in Autumn 2024
MC Strong:
"Somewhere between shoegazing and the Bristol 'Trip Hop' sound, AMP had created a work of sweeping soundscapes, echoing ambience and waves of feedback."