Amusement Parks On Fire: Out Of The Angeles
Amusement Parks On Fire are a Nottingham five-piece
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Wednesday, 13, Sep 2006 05:07
V2 Records, out September 18th.
In a nutshell.
Layered, stormy, noisy, epic, lengthy
What's it all about?
Out Of The Angeles is Amusement Parks On Fire's follow-up to the acclaimed self-titled debut from 2005. The album consists of ten tracks that marry the thick walls of fuzzy guitar sounds typical of Shoegazing with quieter moments reminiscent of the likes of Sigur Ros. Tense and occasionally forbidding, each track gives the sense that it is about to explode into something bigger. Live renditions of some of the new tracks, as well as older songs, are included on the bonus DVD.
Who's it by
Amusement Parks On Fire are a five-piece band, but the real heart of the outfit lies with Michael Feerick, who was just 16 when he wrote all of the tracks on the eponymous first album back in 2001, playing all of the instruments on the original demos himself. Three years later, the four other members of the band were drafted in and the ethereal fuzz-laden debut was released in 2005 to critical praise. The band joined V2 earlier this year.
As an example.
"We don't want a half-soul / We just wanna get stoned / We ain't gonna die alone / Gonna make it through the blackhole"
(Blackout)
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
While the big, epic sounds of the record would probably suit the stadium stage, it is unlikely to find enough fans to fill such lofty venues and even less likely to garner any major awards.
What the others say
"APOF's major-label debut is thick with densely fuzzed guitars and narcotised atmospherics - a creditable effort with its heart in the right place." - Time Out
"If Amusement Parks On Fire achieve one thing that many other bands would die for, it's the way that they capture the experience of seeing a band live on this record. Sadly for them, and indeed us, this appears to be by making all the songs interminably longer than they need to be and mixing it so badly that the vocals are rendered almost completely inaudible." - SoundsXP
So is it any good?
Shoegazing fans who like their guitars big and loud will love this record, as will some of those who enjoyed the rockier efforts on the band's first album. However, listeners hoping for a step in an altogether different direction will ultimately be disappointed with Out Of The Angeles. While there are some decent tunes here (In Flight, Blackout, So Mote It Be), there is nothing to really excite the imagination and many of the tracks risk drifting into 'isn't this the same as the last one?' territory.
5/10
Dipika Patel