Customer Reviews

Promise of Love

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Year by year AAS become less "drone-pop" and more pop! The process had already begun with their previous effort ("know by heart", also an excellent album) and is brought even further on this release, their latest.
Even if the sound retains AAS' trademark elements (for example the breathy vocals everyone familiar with the band we'll recognize...) the album is more varied, drawing at times from rock and even funk!. Don't get me wrong, there are no rock anthems or funky numbers on the album but elements from both genres seep through several tracks.
On the whole I found this album extremely good, arguably the best in their career.

[...]

Mellow tunes with enough grit and edge to keep you coming back for more. Thinking person's chill music. Especially strong: "Fool Around," "Julie come home," and "Continuous Hit Music."

Everytime I listen to this CD, I like it more. I've heard some comments that this isn't amanset's greatest work! I just recently found out about this band (yes, I live under a rock), so I'm looking forward to buying all the rest of the CD's, if this isn't their "greatest work"! I'm looking forward to getting the other ones and experiencing more of their music!

The American Analog Set's first two albums, The Fun of Watching Fireworks and From Our Living Room To Yours, are full of long and simple, but lovingly hypnotic songs. With The Golden Band and Know By Heart, they shortened the lengths but kept their signature sound and musical sensibilities (quiet is the new loud). To me, Promise of Love is a mixture of these two kinds of albums.
The lengths run from 2:13 (Promise of Love) to 8:02 (Modern Drummer/Continuous Hit Music reprise). The album starts with "Continuous Hit Music," one of their loudest songs. "Hard to Find," with it's rubbery guitar and circuitous drum beat, is the most accessible track on the album and best displays their strengths; repetitious melodies, vibraphone, and whisper vocals. The middle of the album sags because the flow of the album is broken; The slithering "You Own Me," the quick flash "Promise of Love," and the funky drumbeat of "The Hatist." My favorite track, and the album's closer, is "Modern Drummer." The song rides on hi-hat, guitar and keyboard for a bit, then adds vibraphone, a hint of cello, and the vocals. It's a very peaceful ending to a nice, yet uneven album.
If you are an AmAnSet beginner, it's best to start with Know By Heart. If you're already a fan, you'll find something to like on this record.

I've been listening to AAS since the release of 'From Our Living Room to Yours'. For me, that remains their finest album, followed closely by 'The Golden Band' - sparse, exquisitely moving 'drone pop' as another reviewer here has called it. The departure towards what I would deem more conventional, accesible pop is not a good thing in my opinion. Yes I'm the part-pooper

Most bands worth their weight in salt become more experimental, avant-garde in their later works - a la the Radiohead model. AAS on the other hand, have become more conventional from what was a unique, rich, restrained and definitive sound. While its still a good album, I'm disappointed. Tracks like Magnificent Seventies, Blue Chaise, and Weather Report herals what might-have-been if AAS had been more confident in their sound...

It seemed for a while, 2001's "Know By Heart" would be the last Amanset album. After buying this one, belatedly, I'm sure glad these guys stayed in the game. As far as I'm concerned, the basic idea remains the same, even though the tone of their music has evolved slightly. Whereas for early releases featured dead-simple, long-winded drone masterpieces that would leave the toasted listener simply awe-struck, the sound overall has become more complex over the years. "Promise of Love" features a range of sounds, but the hallmark is the interaction between soft guitars, electric pianos, bass, drums and various percussions to create a clanging symphony of sublte improvisations and extended crescendos that offer the listener a warm, cooing product. Highlights of the album include the plaintive "Come Home Baby Julie, Come Home" and the catchy "Promise of Love." A few songs, I felt, proved weaker, but overall tihs album proves a satisfying, engaging listen.

...for Austin's kings of hypnotic indie rock. AAS create swirling (yet even-keeled) meditations on love and life. If you liked "Know By Heart," this eight song release offers more of the same goodness.

as a dedicated fan of "know by heart," i saw them play recently without having heard the new album. the conclusion? i had deprived myself immensely in the time i waited to buy "promise of love." the richness of their sound has only evolved more, and if you can, you should also try to catch them live.

I heard the song "Hard to Find" on an episode of One Tree Hill and loved it. It's now my favorite song of all time. Anything I've heard by American Analog Set has been outstanding.

I have been following AAS since 'From Our Living Room to Yours' and have enjoyed all their albums. Their latest release, at first listen, was a bit droney and guitar heavy. I was expecting more of the '...Living Room...' floaty, beat drive songs.

One subsequent plays though, I have begun to enjoy the depth of sounds this record has and displays the different layers a song can have. This type of songmaking is very refreshing in today's uni-dimensional, pop music landscape and makes this album one of the few in that category of records you can listen to, end to end, without skipping a track. You would be hard pressed to find a radio single on this album, but as a complete work, this record is very rich and very good.