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Review Summary: Amplifier meets Philip K. Dick Six years passed since we last heard new music from Amplifier. There were some vinyl issues of the first three LPs, solo materials and one live DVD released, however, a full length was long overdue. A while ago, the two founding members, Sel Balamir and Matt Brobin have locked themselves in the studio to work on an odyssey entitled Gargantuan. At some point during the respective sessions, the duo decided to turn six of the recorded songs into a separate entity, Hologram. Despite its shorter length, this still is a sonic roller coaster that takes bits from the group’s discography and fuses them with the current direction. It’s a twisted drive that requires a few listens to untangle its grooves.
As “Two Way Mirror” bursts in with its immersive main riff, you are swayed into Hologram’s rather moody atmosphere. Its busy structure goes from twangy guitar assisted verses to full-blown distorted choruses, detours and rhythm variations along the way. Then, the gnarly progressions of “Sweet Perfume” keep you on your toes, aided by muscular guitars, occasional dissonant leads and epic solos. Matt also rarely plays straightforward beats, only augmenting the waviness of the tune. Nevertheless, everything breaks into a low-key coda that gently transitions to the beautiful title track. From here, the record changes its overall sound, focusing on more melodic segments. It’s like the free fall ended and now you are underwater and experiencing a completely different vibe. The lush picked chords take over, alongside feedback-laden notes and brittle, uplifting vocals. Moreover, highlights such as “Let Me Drive” and “Gargantuan (Part I)” continue this softer blend with just a handful of heavier moments. The former’s atmospheric guitars which accompany the main sonic theme, especially on the choruses are lovely and soothing. Plus, the final, mechanical-like groove is catchy and it’s unfortunate it has not been reprised into a heavier setting. It reminds a bit of Echo Street, but less mournful. Meanwhile, “Gargantuan (Part I)” ends this journey with a big “to be continued…” sign attached to it. From the smooth acoustic parts to the glorious, ascending-beyond-the-skies lyrics and progressions, it makes for a gorgeous end to this LP.
All in all, Hologram instantly became a strong entry in Amplifier’s catalogue. Each song shares memorable parts and melodies, as well as a dense atmosphere. At the same time, the lyrical content is interesting at the very least, leaning from philosophical content to abstract, slightly dystopian concepts, sci-fi quests or encouraging stories. This wide ranged mix offers a Philip K. Dick vibe that works really well with the wavy music. If these tracks were initially part of the Gargantuan project, the guys must be preparing one hell of a ride for us.
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Album Rating: 4.0
Lovely record with lots going on in its 36-minute span.
Stream here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd2JQL4B2N8
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Bloody love this band, didn’t realise they had new stuff out. Nice one.
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Uh oh, I'm worried about listening to this after the last 2
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I enjoyed this more than I initially expected to.
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great review, love the album art
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nice rev might check
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Man I had forgotten about them but they hit the ears nicely when they’re on so I’ll give this a spin
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Thanks guys.
Yeah, it's been a while since they released stuff, but it was worth the wait IMO.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Raul Stanciu gotta be one of the best reviewers, if not the best reviewer on this website. The way he perfectly describes the album without writing too "verbose" is impressive. Review is short, crisp, on point. He briefly talks about each track individually and intertwines those segements nicely with other parts of the review. It's not only this specific review, he writes great reviews back-to-back. Everyone has a talent and the man clearly is pretty damn good at writing music reviews.
The groove, the guitar tone, the voice .. this album is very easy to listen to. To me it sounds very light and fresh. Perfect for a nice summer day
Favorite track: Gargantuan (part one)
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Thanks for the kind words. However, I definitely am not among the best reviewers of this website.
I agree about the record, the tunes have this breezy sound, reminding me of the atmosphere the first album had.
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It reminds me of "Insider", but in a good way. If you ever get the chance to see them live, do it. They're both loud and amazing.
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Cool review. Gave it my first listen now, nothing really gripped me but I'm hoping it'll grow on me.
I've wanted to get into these guys for ages. Mostly due to their association with Oceansize, whoone of my favourite bands.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Thanks.
Try listening to the self titled debut or Echo Street if you want something more Porcupine Tree-ish/Pineapple Thief to it. I find those the easiest to listen to from their catalog.
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Self-titled had such a cool vocal tone and delivery, got instantly hooked just by the singer when I heard the band the first time a few years back.
Here he sounds like a generic hippie, kinda uninspired tbh.
Took me a while to even recognize it's the same singer on this record.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I agree he should do some attitude vocals (if that makes sense) more like on earlier stuff. Still, I love the softer vocals on Let Me Drive and Gargantuan I
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This is class
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It exceeded my expectations, their music is always amazing, street fighter duel and so is this album
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Just found this very interesting interview with Neil Mahony, the bassist from the first 3 albums: https://www.mixcloud.com/iris-hidding/purple-flower-progressive-hour-interview-with-neil-mahony-mahoney-ex-amplifier/
If you listen from 27:00 - 36:00 he gives a very detailed and interesting explanation as to why he left the band. It's also interesting to listen to his EP he released in 2016 - in the interview they discuss how the big riffs and spacey atmosphere that is missing from everything since The Octopus is exactly what is contained in his EP. I had always wondered why that magic seemed to be lost after The Octopus and now it makes perfect sense why! Such a shame when bandmates' behaviour gets in the way of the greatness they can create together. I really do think this band became a shadow of its former self after The Octopus (Echo Street was pretty solid but everything after that has mostly just sounded like just-another-hard-rock-band to me).
I do think the self-titled and The Octopus are something special and some of the best prog this side of the 2000s. We can only imagine what they could have gone on to do!
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During that time, there were some vinyl releases of their earlier albums, solo materials, and a live DVD. However, fans have been eagerly awaiting a full-length album. Recently, the two founding subway surfers members, Sel Balamir and Matt Brobin, locked themselves in the studio to work on a new album called Gargantuan.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Will listen to the interview. Thanks for sharing!
Still, I wouldn't say the magic was lost after the Octopus, there are lots of great songs on the last 4 records. Let Me Drive has become one of my favorite Amplifier songs, but yeah, it's subjective. I do agree the 00s material has a certain charm tho.
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