Amandine - Sore Hands
Rating
RIYL
Iron & WineSufjan Stevens
Sigur Ros
Clem Snide
Tracklist
1. Faintest of Hearts2. Chores of the Heart
3. Silver Bells
4. Standing in Line
5. Soldier’s Hands
6. Iron Wings
7. Our Nameless Will
8. Better Soil
9. Secrets
10. Shadow of Grief
11. New Morning
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Any interested parties unable to simply sit and take in an album without the crazy distractions that life offers can simply stop reading; this collection of songs is not for you. Amandine is a Swedish group of technically competent musicians that evidently pour heart and soul into their trade. Each note feels both delicately placed, but completely natural. Each instrument is played with precision and zest without ever murmuring more than a gentle whisper.
The first track’s opening plucks of banjo set the haunting, intimate vibe that resonates through every offering on Solace in Sore Hands. It’s one of the rare occasions where every song draws you into the recording studio to feel each performance as it was just happening. Olof Gidlof’s vocals are soft and soothing in a lullaby fashion as he sings with the conviction of a seasoned man possessing years of heartache to expunge. The piano piece of “Soldier’s Hands” laments in ways that only the bluesiest guitar licks could relate, over a horn section no less. The jive guitar swagger of “Secrets” adds a flavor not found elsewhere on the album while “Shadow of Grief” arguably features the most stirring piano/violin piece of the record. While a majority of the disc feels very Americana, the violin pieces have a strong Celtic accent and do a smashing job sending the listener off on the closing track, “New Morning.”
To call their music melancholy would be an understatement. It has a familiar touch to it from the first listen that feels like returning home after years of living abroad. It feels comfortable, but tinged with sadness or even laced with regret.
People already familiar with Amandine’s body of work should not be disappointed with their latest offering. They have not made any drastic changes or abandoned any of their basic principles. It does seem they’ve managed to hone their talents into more of a streamlined effort, which is actually a hindrance in the beginning. This leaves the album sounding a little slower and less eventful the first couple of listens.
Solace in Sore Hands is not the type of music you put on in the background and half-listen to while you’re working. It is stunningly easy to get sidetracked while listening and find yourself missing whole tracks at a time; a by-product of the disc’s lack of variation, its sole downfall. Bearing this in mind, any given song on this album is a powerfully moving piece when listened to individually and attentively. It is rewarding as whole package also, but only for those willing to put the time, effort, and patience into uncovering and growing with it.
--Jeremy Deal
Comments
Anytown USA
You play to win the game.
Tucson, AZ
Los Angeles
I know how you like those comparisons, Scott.
postrockpaperscissors
Tucson, AZ
To clarify, I don't really care where a band is from. It only annoyed me when that guy I knew asked incessantly, mainly because I hardly ever knew (didn't care) and he'd always look at me like I must not really like music or something.
First of all: thanks for a well written review!
Just want to comment on the Scraps of Tape thing.
We acctually played with them on a one night festival for unsigned bands - in a town close to Malmö - back in 2003, when we called ourself Wichita Linemen (don't ask). At the time none of us in the band (nowadays called Amandine) lived in Malmö.
Of the shows I saw that night, Scraps performance is the only one I remember as being really really good.
This "festival" (more of a showcase really) takes place once a year and more often than not manages to book unsigned bands that becomes more or less successful a few years later. I guess both us and Scraps are doing quite OK at the moment.
But keep in mind that Scraps are really FROM Malmö... those of us in Amandine who lives/lived here (just two of us nowdays and soon only one) MOVED here from northern Sweden. But we're not here to discuss scandinavian geography now, are we? :-)
From Sweden, with love
/ john