Sorry about the picture. It was 2pm on a saturday afternoon and I still couldn’t get near the stage at a packed to overflowing Pianos to catch the Swedish soul tronic synth band supergroup Amason and it is easy to see last years EP has impressed many a person. And it is easy to hear why. Start with lead singer Amanda Hollingby of Idiot Wind, who has a lovely, compassionate voice, and then go in any direction you choose and everything will leave you impressed. Pontus Winnberg, who sold out T5 with Miike Snow, is behind the keyboards and his brother Peter Winnberg of Little Majorette is on guitar. between them they have one of the biggest catalogs of production credits around.
The sound is dreamy but sturdy, real songs which sometimes dive into jams with the piano leading. It is glorious without being enervating, and though Peter showed more energy dancing around before the show, it is the mood and the music that is taking you elsewhere. The show belongs to Amanda but more as a nominal lead singer (Pontus also sings lead sometimes) and she moves little, the band is stoic but beautiful, they even look beautiful, Peter has a full red beard and is so tall he is practically all I can see without looking at the band’s reflection in the mirror next to me.
Amason gets a warm response and there is a gentle glory here,this is music for your bedsit, it is music to close your eyes and drift in pleasure to,it is like SoCal Fleetwood Mac on synthesizers, the band have an intense in the studio unspeculative glamour about them,they appear elsewhere and we are listening in.Amason don’t speak to us, just an hello and a smile. “Thank you very much for listening” Amanday says before the last song, the beautiful “Went To War” with Pontus trading verses. It is a wonderful sound, completely catchy and it doesn’t miss the horns we know from the EP at all. This might not be the most exciting live show at CMJ but it was sure the most tuneful.
Grade: B+
