Amateur Radio Operator - Sirens Of Titan

Amateur Radio Operator
Sirens Of Titan

I don’t know if it was intended or not, but the first thing that I noticed about Amateur Radio Operator was their album name - Sirens of Titan. Hello title-of-a-Kurt Vonnegut book. Needless to say, I sort of sat on this album for several months - even though I really dig it. This seems to happen frequently. The more I like an album, the longer it takes to get it reviewed. I guess that goes against common sense, but hey - you get what you get.

Anyhow, I really like the deep, vast alt-country soundscapes created by the band. It’s VERY Band of Horses (yeah, that Band of Horses). But at times I like ARO even more because of they lean even more toward the sparse and moody, with cello and quieter moments giving the songs greater swim and less swing. The vocals definitely land them in the My Morning Jacket territory but the music can be more Norfolk and Western at times. Unlike others, I think I actually like the speedbumps here - it fits wonderfully with the overall mood. But of course they’re capable of rocking out as well.

According to the bio, they’re big fans of “entropic music” - the decay that hides alongside bigger made-for-radio choruses. I like that. Broken Household Appliance National Forest - here we come.

by Palebear