AM/FM - Mutilate Us
(Polyvinyl)
AM/FM's album Mutilate Us is the perfect music for summer: light,
easy to listen to, and highly forgettable. At this time of the year,
when days are spent with a dog and a frisbee at the park and nights
are spent watching shows like "Big Brother 2" and "Real World 10,"
perhaps music with staying power isn't a necessity. Maybe
something sunny and pleasing is enough to brighten the day and
help the next one come easier.
AM/FM lead guy Brian Sokel takes
many cues from the creator of sunny day music, Brian Wilson, even
covering a Beach Boys song, and perhaps this is not such a good
selling point--"Yet Another Beach Boys Ripoff." Sokel keeps things
stripped down and spontaneous, however, entering the studio with
only ideas and an acoustic guitar,
letting him and his guests turn these ideas into full
songs--keeping the songs from sound anywhere near as plush and lush
as your standard Y.A.B.B.R., lending it a more naturalistic, lo-fi
vibe.
There's more trouble behind the
scenes than Sokel's sunny melodies would imply as Sokel focuses in
several songs on how he is such a fool for love, the title of the
album being a product of his foolishness. This all would make
AM/FM songs a little too bittersweet if they were tasted too long
and allowed to seep in too deeply. Perhaps it's fortunate, then,
that the hooks aren't sharper, and the songs so easily pass
through the brain.
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