Review by Shannon Shumaker
Amason’s Sky City is an easy listen. From the bass heavy, airy first track, “Algen,” to the laid back final song, “Clay Birds,” Sky City is audible relaxation. The floating melodies and easy-going harmonies are incredibly strong on this record, enough to nearly lull you to sleep.
When you think about it, Sky City is the perfect name for this record. The underlying vibe of each song is airy and hypnotizing, floating through the album with ease and making the transition between each song seem easy and effortless. While “Algen,” is one of the more upbeat songs on Sky City, the second track “Duvan” has a very mystical quality about it. The vocal work on the chorus of this track sounds absolutely flawless alongside the simple piano part, and by the time it fades into “Kelly,” I’m not only relaxed, but I’m excited to see what Amason create with the rest of this album.
The vocal harmonies in “Kelly” are easily some of the strongest on the album. The way that the male and female vocals mesh is amazing – it’s like light and dark coming together on this song. Following “Kelly” is the interlude sounding track, “Elefanten,” which showcases Amason’s ability to create great tracks both in English and Swedish. Regardless if you understand what the lyrics mean or not, the song is still beautiful, able to transcend language, and that’s exactly what a great artist should be able to do. “Went To War” and “Velodrome” are some of the more poppy tracks on the album, with vocals that remind me quite a bit of Regina Spektor.
The only real downside on Sky City is that, due to their relaxing and airy quality, many of the songs in the middle of the album seem to blend together. While getting lost in an album isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does become hard to tell where one song ends and another begins because of their similar sounds and laid back vibe. However, there are definitely some stand out tracks on Sky City such as “Went To War,” which has very strong vocals and the simple yet beautiful, “The Moon As A Kite.” Above everything, Sky City has a very classic, elegant sound while still remaining new and fresh. The airy quality throughout the entirety of the album is definitely Sky City’s unique strong point, which will absolutely make it memorable.
Rating: 4/5
Listen to “Kelly” or “Went To War”