Stenorette

by Matthew HilburnAfter their highly acclaimed Kranky debut, Astralmoonbeamprojections, and their blissful second release, Perceptions, on Darla Records, Amp continues to bridge the gap between ambient guitar rock and trance electronica. With a maelstrom of staccato percussion, sheets of distorted guitar washes and haunting vocals, Stenorette is yet another successful display of auditory experimentalism and the joy of noise by the British duo of Richard Walker and Karine Charff. The songs here range from the subdued piano-driven softness of "Songe" to the menacing whirl of "Zoe," but the entire album is a celebration of sonic sensory overload. Not immediately accessible on the first listen, each track is held together with either a thin thread of melody, an infectious groove, or tightly reined chaos. Amp's hidden beauty becomes more apparent each time through.