Apparently, a much different record is created in North Beijing than say, when you roam around the Catskills for awhile. When Amen Dunes' first LP DIA surfaced two years back, it got a lot of attention... or as much attention as the blogsphere will allow any artist. Much was said of Damon McMahon's freak folk trippiness and 180• departure from his former work as part of Inouk. By comparison, this new, made-in-china record makes his debut sound flatter and less ambitious than the dense, reverb-drenched soundscapes he's putting together now.
For his sophomore effort, Through Donkey Jaw, (Sacred Bones Records) the results are more dreamy, insulated and paired down than I expected. But then... I've never been to Beijing. Gone are his once trademark monotone drawl, replaced with chant-like ups and downs from the crazy buildup in "Not a Slave" to the softly lilting 'Swim Up Behind Me." Give McMahon floor toms, stratocaster and massive echo, and he'll burrow his way into your sub-conscious like Syd Barrett or Beck circa One Foot in the Grave.
Well, now Amen Dunes is back in Brooklyn, so show our ex-pat some love. Grab the new record on iTunes Aug. 11, and see him live at Shea Stadium for psych folk night with 1129 and MV & EE. - Mike Levine
We've always been big fans of Luke Temple, and it's good to see that, together with the Here We Go Magic crew, the man is keeping at it with increasingly beautiful records and videos. The band's new album "A Different Ship" (stream it here) will be out on May 8, and betrays at least a partial return to Luke Temple's more intimate and melodic sound from his solo repertoire - in this regard, lend a ear to "Hard to Be Close," "Alone but Moving" and "Over the Ocean". This is welcome news for fans like us who always thought that in most HWGM material Luke's noteworthy songwriting skills seemed a little sacrificed on the altar of textural experimentation. This doesn't mean that the band's signature hypnotic, impressionistic sound is lost - it's just that these two elements work together better than they did in past records, and this is what makes this album one of the NYC highlights of the year so far. Indeed, this collection also features songs more in line with the band's past releases ("Make Up your Mind", "I Believe in Action"), which follow on the steps of brainy-pop icons like Brian Eno and The Feelies, but there's definitely a balance here, also betrayed by the almost perfect alternation of melodic songs and less traditional ones.The just released video of "How Do I Know," telling the story of a rejected dancing robot that ends up revitalizing an older man's appreciation for life, seems to reflect on this brain/heart, mechanic/organic dichotomies and somehow bring them to unity. - PDG
