Amos/Anon - Album Review: Toil On, Poor Heart
A single piano keynote rings like a toiling bell
beckoning you to another realm, its haunting and spellbinding sound builds and
before long you have entered a dimension where the music conjures imagery
and feelings that you may not be prepared to experience. The opening track Toil On introduces you to the transcendent sound of Amos/Anon with its pensive slow
rhythms and building ambience that takes you away from your comfort zone.
There is clean and gentle piano with textured acoustic guitars that provide rhythmic strums while the brooding and moody singing draws you into a shadier world.
While the bold song titles and lyrical statements may depict a darker side, the music offers splashes of colour and warmth due to the earthy and smooth acoustic instrumentation provided by piano and guitar, while the delicate melody is heightened due to the contrasting harmonies of the raspy male voice of amos/anon and the sweet female voice of parrafin.
Tracks like From Nothing and Rusted Through boldly move with an acoustic guitar sounding reminiscent of Nirvana's Unplugged, while its chilling melody is hightened by the cold whispered tones of Amos/Anon’s vocals, which again is offset by the well harmonised and clean voice of parrafin. Many of the refrains are delivered with a grinding repetition that helps to enforce the theme and empower its message deep into your conscious.
Overall the album’s music slowly seeps into you and takes you on a journey where the weight of frustration and heartache are at its core, it's powerful and profound and definitely “different”. It is not what you would hear played in any mainstream environment, but it is compelling and authoritative to say the least, check it out of you dare.
About Amos/Anon
"...it’s Kiwi from end to end, indie and awesome. The more I listen, the more I want!"
"...unashamedly bolshie and brazen. There is no room for tenderness here."
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