Amp - Saint Cecilia Sinsemilla
(Space Age)
Amp's musical history has ranged from supremely blissed out drones (Perception) to far more straight-forward and heavier, sample based songs--as in the excellent album Stenorette. This, Amp's latest effort, is a collection of live recordings and radio appearances from their European tour. It is also Amp at their most raw. It features mostly songs from the album Stenorette, as well as other recent albums--it is not safe to assume, however, that if you have heard those albums, you know what to expect here--the songs are very, very different in a live setting. So different, in fact, a friend of mine mistook it for PJ Harvey.
The first track, "Get There" is surprisingly heavy--with skittering beats overlaid with heavily distorted guitar fuzz. Track two is the familiar Stenorette track "Tango Non" which, while very open and raw, translates very well to the live setting. The third track, "Hum Field Modulator" gives us a taste of the droney side of Amp--with layers of hiss and found sounds, accented with a simple keyboard melody and some expressive wailing from Karine. The bulk of the album mines similar (but similarly good) material. The only exception is a live version of "Stellata" from Astralmoonbeamprojections, which features only an acoustic guitar and vocals--no electronics, no effects--and it works beautifully.
This new context for Amp, has brought a much needed freshness to the band, who have been in some cases a bit inconsistent. Hearing Amp in what is (for most people) a new context, creates a new perspective for looking at not only this release, but previous releases. I have found myself returning to their other albums, and enjoying them even more than before. Simply said, Saint Cecilia Sinsemilla documents some of the best performances from one of the best bands around today. And while, like any band, Amp have their low and high points--this live album contains, for the most part, very high points.
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