AMUTE – infernal heights for a drama
(CD – still)
Since the last time I have heard about Amute – which was in 2006 when the wonderful “sea horse limbo” had been released on intr_version – a lot has changed in the world of Jerome Deuson. Most of all, his hence solo-project Amute has turned into a full fledged band, able to fill the ever evolving and introspective visions fo Deuson with ferve and live. This has resulted most effectively in a broader, fuller and bigger sound. There are tight riffs and arrangements that are dense and encompassing. It is way closer to rock than to their roots of indietronica, or whatever that kind of introspective songwriting on a computer was called back then. Actually, in some parts it is quite close to the kind of emotional folksinging that Connor Oberst so perfectly perfected.
Which already hints to the diversity of the songs on this wonderful collection of popmusic, a range of emotions that goes from wild passion to lonesome melancholy. There is even a lonely trombone here and there and some twang guitar. Don’t worry, the computer still provides his tweeps and bleeps from time to time or fills niches with little hums, buzzes and noises, but the main core of the arrangement is way more basic and down to earth than ever before. The slowly winding and ever so lonely “Begone” is a perfect example. It trots along in a rhythm that carries the heartache in its steps, until finally a guitar schooled on various solos by Canada’s biggest guitar playing son steps in to blow out the melancholy and despair with a few kilowatts of amplification. An analogue thing is true for “No other man”.
All in all “infernal heights for a drama” is a very modern record that traces its roots back to centuries of music. It is all paying tribute to Deuson’s evolution as a songwrite and musicfan. For instance when they contradict various parts structurally, like grabbing deeply into the electronica soundscape repertoire of some years ago and then introducing a rolling bass-line over which they do some chorus singing, as somewhere towards the end of “enclosed movements / inner you”, then you can either count the sources on your fingers of lean back wherever you are start listening closely to each nuance and each little bitpart of the mix. The band will soon be back into pop music mode. And then add a mutated surf guitar to play the next solo.
It is also nice to see some half-forgotten names (my fault!) on the list of contributers, especially Mitchell Akiyama, who plays some reworked piano on “when things are not going right” and whose “if night is a weed…” album still makes for some nice late night listening after all these years. With Bryce Kushnier from Vitaminsforyou there is another contributor from the old intr_version connection on here, but who is probably better known for his work with Do Make Say Think (on constellation records.) It is some kind of the old Canada connection at work here.
Desolate hymns about broken hearts and lost opportunites, played by a broken instrument electronica band in full instrumental outfit, that is the core of “infernal heights for a drama”. What kind of drama? I still have no idea, but it is in your head mostly anyway.
www.stilll.org
02/2009
FROM WWW.MONOCHROM.AT
2/20/09
Some real news
Hi everyone,
So the band is really busy right now trying to contact the whole world about "Infernal Heights For A Drama". Things are going fine and dates are coming.
So we'd like to remind you that we play at La Rotonde in Brussels (Botanique), the price is 5€ and there's only one band : aMute ! To book your place.
We'll be playing at another big place in april but we cannot tell you about it before the date in Botanique.
We'll be at the Pac Rock Festival in May and in Paris on April 7th.
I also just did a cover version of Thot's Ortie single
Cheers my friends.
Jérôme.
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