More Amor – More Amor
Record Label: Unsigned
Release Date: September 2008
As far as two-man bands go, More Amor is up there. While the duo’s backgrounds could be obstacles to leap over (Tom Oakes was in The Higher and Kyle Lobeck was in YouInSeries), they should instead be discarded completely. More Amor’s electronic pop easily trumps all previous endeavors. By landing somewhere in between 3OH!3 and Inkwell, these guys have found a balance of scene immaturity and songwriting prowess. But the real highlights are the vocal harmonies. This 14-song effort is thankfully devoid of any nose-singing or Circa Survive copycat-ism. If you begin with More Amor like I did – which means you had less than high hopes – you’ll be wonderfully surprised. Redemption implies triumph, but only in the context of previous works. No, this is liberation.
More Amor is an album on the brink. It could easily break these guys into the mainstream they so earnestly dream of on opener “Six Weeks At Sixteen.” The beats are never too obnoxious, the lyrics are only kinda obnoxious, and the choruses make it all worthwhile. “Young Hollywood” is the album’s quintessential song; acoustic guitars mingle with drum-heavy beats and self-aware lyrics like, “God, I’m gonna eat you up / Then I’m gonna do your drugs / All because I knew I could / I’m coming, young Hollywood.” You’re not alone if you think such sentiments are dumb, but when sung over handclaps, who the f**k cares? It’s these slow songs that work the best. More Amor tends to lose its way a bit when the tempo turns up: “Cheelisal” works itself into a P!ATD-type frenzy and the Carlos Santana-lite guitar solo seems wasted on top of overdone electro beats. But it’s as if More Amor sensed its strengths, because the album mostly sticks to mid-tempo or contemplative fare. Well, contemplative if you’re vain. (I am.)
I feel like More Amor is headed for stardom. It’s hard to point out specific star-making traits, but the benign quality of these songs isn’t going to threaten the natural order of things. “So Long Answers” fools around with bleeps in its verses and unleashes a smooth chorus of acoustic guitars at just the right moment. It’s stuff you can learn the words to and spout off to girls who aren’t quite “all there.” Maybe these guys will show The Maine how to make a music video, too. Ending the album on a high note is “This Is High” (which comes after the GarageBand-for-pros “This Is On My Best Friend”). It’s a love lullaby that probably made a very specific lady friend’s panties drop. “Do Do Do’s” ring in your ears and you can’t help but place yourself in the song’s carefree mindset. Finally, an emo song that’s happy! How novel! This has never happened before!
If you pick a genre that’s saturated, you better be doing it right. More Amor is definitely doing things right. Its members have seen enough of the music industry to know the drills and tricks. Experience will only make success come quicker. I’ll fast for a month if More Amor isn’t signed by June.
Recommended If You Like: The Futile, Inkwell, mirrors, 3OH!3 with a reality check, hair gel
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