American Analog Set - Know By Heart
(Tiger Style)
I've always wondered what kind of fanbase the American Analog Set has. They seem to always fall slightly below the radar of your standard indie music media outlets, each new record being released to generally muted fanfare. But I have gone to their concerts, and I know fans exist. I wonder if they inspire the same kind of love in these concert-going folk as they do in me. And what is it that makes me swoon so?
Though the press material for this record has American Analog Set abandoning the farfisa for a more guitar oriented sound, make no mistake that this is not at all atypical American Analog Set fare. Songs pulsing with a very steady (almost krauty) beat, with guitars chugging along in an equally steady fashion. Hushed, melodic vocal harmonies, vibes, and various keyboards add texture to the overall picture--a quiet mystery that seems to hover over all of their records and brings the listener back again and again. The famed farfisa that won this band so many Stereolab comparisons early on does indeed return for a song or two (see "Million Young") and quickly brings you back to the same feeling of their Fun of Watching Fireworks days. Yes, it does stand out as something from their past, but at the same time, this is very visibly the same band. They have maintained their sound pretty consistently, but with each album, they seem to explore it from different angles.
Lyrically, they are as charming as ever, but to be honest, this band's appeal does not seem to lie in its lyrics. Though your heart may find itself attached to these songs, it's not because of what they're saying, but the honesty and earnestness in how they're saying it.
Like the Set's other albums, Know By Heart is by no means perfect. The monotony does set in occasionally, but--also like their other albums--there are a number of songs here that are just so great, so endearing, so heartbreaking, you can overlook the boring tracks, and what you get at the end is another great album on the whole. Another album of music to hide in your bedroom to, dreaming that there are people out there like you, who are sitting in their rooms, dreaming along too.
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