Artist: Young Magic
Album: Melt
Released: 14th of February, 2012
Label: Carpark Records
I was instantly drawn to this album, initially feeling like it was a wave of musical freshness. A 5 kiss rating for sure. But the more I listened to it, the less it gave me.
It’s a surprisingly cohesive work considering that it was recorded in several different countries. Two of the band’s members are Australian ex-pats and one is a native Indonesian, and all have traveled to multiple continents.
For me, the heavy use of reverb gets a bit much, but perhaps it was a conscious production decision in an attempt to bind these diverse sounds into a textured whole. The use of guitars are rare, but when they are present in the mix, they are processed to sound like part of the texture as opposed to chorded instruments. The melodies are often pumped out by exaggerated synths, and the percussion mostly makes use of household objects – rattling coins, pitched water jugs, mobile phones and alarm clocks.
It is an interesting album, and one that I do recommend listening too, but for me, one or two listens was enough to keep me satisfied.
I give it 3.5 out of 5 kisses.
Written by Amy Bastow for the Kiss My Arts Show on Joy 94.9 – All opinions are mine. Copyright 2012.