I'd not heard of Amatorski until a couple of weeks past (that's about as long as it takes for me to digest and post a new artist) though judging by the number of fans on their facebook (more than eight thousand) they've obviously got quite some following in their native Belgium.
Anyway, I don't really care about the number of followers on a social networking site, I'm here to say that they recently released their debut full length 'TBC' and it's more than worthy of your time, for fans of Portishead, Sigur Ros etc this Belgian group will be a perfect discovery (if of course, you'd not heard of them before), their sound is magical, perfectly crafted songs conveying a feeling of heartfelt emotional bliss.
Opening with the melancholic instrumental "Fading" which fills the air with a glockenspiel lullaby that reminds me a bit of that music-box tune you hear as you walk into the Haunted House at Alton Towers (if you've been you'll know what I mean). That's a good way of describing their sounds as well, at face value it's delicate and graceful but their is an undoubted dark edge amongst the tracks itching to be released, never more so than on the stunning "Soldier", arguably the best track on the album, where a trip-hop beat warbles through your speakers with its heavy bass throbs whilst dual vocals soar and elevate. On "22 Februar" haunted synthesisers bubble beneath lead singer Inne's gorgeous, ethereal vocals. It's evocative and completely compelling.
There are plenty of gut-wrenching moments, "Never Told" is a more simplistic piano led ballad where strings lead to a climactic, invigorating finale, it's spine tingling. "8 November" starts in a similar vein, with the addition of a sleepy drum beat, until at the midway point a cacophonous wall of instrumental noise interrupts the extraordinarily beautiful haze, then just as suddenly the dreamy lullaby resumes.
Move over chocolate, 'Amatorski might well be Belgium's best kept secret.
8.5 / 10
You can order a limited vinyl copy of the album here or get it digitally via bandcamp.
Soldier by amatorski
8 November by amatorski
22 Februar by amatorski
No comments:
Post a Comment