Aside from having one of the best band titles I have heard of in a while, ‘Amusement Parks on Fire’ have put together an album that is raw, cool, retro and immediately engaging.
There is something likeable about the way the album is produced, there are no breaks between songs meaning that the album is best heard in its entirety. You move onto the next song before the previous one has ended. It’s a neat trick that works so well here because the ride doesn’t stop.
Fans of The Bends-era Radiohead will love the percussive work and grungy, crackling guitar (particularly on ‘No Fission’) intros that pepper the album giving the tone a smart 90’s feel but it teeters on the brink without really falling head-first into nostalgia.
In other words, it’s no postcard to the Indie bands, but is more a nod of appreciation to those college days of laying on our backs in flats while the dodgy-looking cigarettes were passed around to the soundtrack of Pearl Jam, Nirvana and RHCP.
For the ten tracks, we’re treated to laid-back vocals set against guitar riff rock and powerful drums that occasionally step aside in favour of patient ambient sounds that not only act as the bridge to the next song but as a breather between energetic offerings.
All in all, I really liked this album, there is something about it that deserves repeat listening and does that rare thing in offering the listener something new each time.
