Glaswegian quartet
AMOR
channel their various backgrounds and influences into a surprisingly cohesive, focused form of avant-disco. The group is led by the prolific
Richard Youngs
and includes
Franz Ferdinand
drummer
Paul Thomson
, double bassist
Michael Francis Duch
, and experimental artist
Luke Fowler
.
made their debut with two singles in 2017, both containing sprawling jams with locked-in rhythms and an unwavering sense of pure optimism.
Sinking into a Miracle
is the act's first full-length, and while the basic premise is the same, the album seems more geared toward home listening than the discotheque-ready 12"s. None of the tracks are longer than ten minutes, and the group experiment more in terms of the production, with a few dubby effects and abstract elements popping up, including the faint vocals moaning in the background of "Full Fathom Future," or the trumpet blurts and low-in-the-mix frazzled synths during "Glimpses Across Thunder." The rhythms don't seem quite as bass-heavy, and they slightly deviate from the standard disco shuffle. There's a bit more of an urgent electronic tick to "Heaven Among the Days," which has trippier production than the rest of the album.
Youngs
' confident singing still leads the pack, and his lyrics still search for transcendence; he's "drawn to the full truth of life," as he sings on the final song. As with before,
use disco as a way to look beyond the obvious and search for a deeper meaning to life, but in a way that seems like a joyful release instead of something heavy and ponderous. They take more risks this time around, but not in a way that alienates the listener. The result is a sublime collection of freely expressive grooves which uplift and inspire. ~ Paul Simpson