01 September 2010
Indie LondonRather like Joshua Radin, AM is one of those American artists who is big in the States, yet slowly developing a huge following in the UK.
Future Sons & Daughters is his UK debut LP, but it's very much a sophomore record. His debut, Troubled Times, was only released in America, but every track was culled for use in TV shows or movies, ranging from The Hills to Brothers & Sisters. It's easy to see why, if Future Sons & Daughters is anything to go by.
A collection of future pop songs that nod to pop, rock, steamy soul, '60s Bay Area psychedelia and West Coast sunshine melodies, it's a really great listen that showcases the [belated] arrival of a major US talent.
The lead single, Self Preservation, was an instant IndieLondon single of the week upon hearing it... a swinging, ‘60s pop-infused collection of classic riffs, handclap beats and slinky melodies. AM's vocals were great (supremely laidback), while the chorus was a perfectly honed little gem that married retro values with one of the really great guitar riffs.
But it's just one of many highlights on an album that variously can be compared with the likes of The Beach Boys, Beck, My Morning Jacket and Paul McCartney.
Album opener A Complete Unknown lays the foundations perfectly, combining some slinky organ chords with a great future folk acoustic guitar vibe, and some Californian surfin' guitar licks that The Drums would be proud of.
Better still, though, is the mandolin fed The Other Side, a breezy delight that really sets a chilled out groove of effortless appeal.
The even more blissful psychedelic It's Been So Long features a delicious mix of boy-girl vocals that's strangely reassuring (given the lyrics, "it doesn't matter still"), while Darker Days another seamless blend of soul and R'n'B influences that showcases another side to AM.
Thereafter, Grand Opinion drops another great chorus that's vaguely psychedelic again, and certainly ripe for a West Coast driving accompaniment, while Fortunate Family Tree thrives on another surf rock intro that gives way to some more chilled acoustics.
Of note, too, are the similarly chilled folk pop of When The Dust Settles, the trippy Jorge Ben and the pensive album closer, Endings Are Beginnings, which weaves a sombre piano arrangement around some soul-searching lyrics.
For those that want to find out more, AM is an American through and through, having been born in Oklahoma, raised in New Orleans, and currently making a home in LA. That said, his musical influences range far and wide, a point he's quick to attribute to the successful contribution of his band on the album.
"They really delivered on this album," he says. "Before we got together to go over the songs I made everyone in the band a hand-picked playlist of everything I had been digging on in the last year: obscure Italian soundtracks and Brazilian music, psychedelic Turkish folk, deep cut soul and groove."
Trust us, you're going to want to buy Future Sons & Daughters so that it can enrich your life!!