Aum - Happiness EP
Aum are no longer a Hamilton based duo, this five song EP will perhaps be their last in a while as they relocate and settle in Europe.
The sounds of this collection comfortably fit into the electronica genre and display a love of sound and rhythm, and professional arrangement and production. Vocals are either samples or lifted Moby style from other sources.
As such the key elements become use of timbre and the use of repetition as a structural device- this is important to be effective so as to balance the lack of traditional melody and "organic" instruments. Poorly handled the result can seem cold, lifeless and destined to be café background music but Aum display some deft musical touches to produce listenable and occasionally startling music.
Two standout examples; Sombre dreams evokes a cinematic vibe-starting with 80's style synth sweeps through creepy soundtrack dialogue and building into a Play-era Moby styled finish, complete with a lifted vocal that sounds straight out of the Lomax collection.
Four lanes is a very clever piece that sounds a direct development from the prepared piano works and aleatory music of John Cage or Karl Heinz Stockhausen in the 50s and 60s blended with a ranting read of an un named poet ("be kind to yourself!") it's a challenging listening and thoroughly rewarding because of it.
Aum's work must continue. This is the kind of stuff that genuinely makes a listener want to see where they go next.
