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Aminal - Shadows

Lary Rogers | June 24, 2014

Aminal's Shadows impressed from the first listen.  I found out about these guys through a card I picked up at a local coffee shop.  As a newly minted music reviewer, I'm now really open to new music sources, and when I saw this pile of business cards with simply "AMINAL" in huge letters and "SHADOWS EP" in smaller letters just below, I knew I was looking at just such an opportunity.  So, I checked out the tunes from their page in the Bandcamp online venue.  As I said - I was impressed.

 

"Tick/Tock" opens the album very slowly.  Very.  It's a quiet 

and building tune simply designed to lead your ears into the album proper.

 

"Cat Toys" is catchy and fun, but compared to the following track, "Let Me In,"  is rather pale.  "Let Me In" is ridiculously catchy. Easily the band's single, the tune combines good music with occasional a capella shouts of "Let Me In, Let Me In, Why Don't You Let Me In?" punctuating and truly making this a memorable tune.  It's a good thing "Cat Toys" came first on the album.

 

"The Score" is at least as radio-friendly as  is "Let Me In."  This one opens with a simple beat and keyboard combo that DJ’s love for talking up records.  "Let Me In" has a cold acapella start - no fun for radio DJ’s.  

 

"The Score" is bound to be more fun for chatty DJ’s.  It's also a darn good bit of songwriting.  It changes beats and tempo a couple times, yet still maintains its awesomeness as a catchy memorable tune.

 

The title track, "Shadows," is a mellow electronic/instrumental piece that feels right, if only because it closes the album in a vein similar to "Tick/Tock."  It certainly does not sound like any of the three actual songs, being as slow and contemplative as it is.

 

The first and fifth tracks notwithstanding, the three songs they bracket potentially highlight the emergence of a really breakout new group.  These songs are more than ready for prime-time, and I can't wait for the full album.

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