Amusement Parks On Fire Amusement Parks On Fire Invada, 2004 amazon

Too much new music at the moment ... wonderful new efforts by veterans like the Go-Betweens and the Orange Peels, as well as promising debuts by Maxïmo Park and the Magic Numbers. One completely offhand acquisition has become the focus of my attention, the debut self-titled record by Nottingham self-described "art punk" outfit Amusement Parks On Fire. The album begins with the somber four minute instrumental "23 Jewels", with lonely strings lilting over the sound of a scratched record. Then into the much, much louder "Venus In Cancer", featuring the wall of guitars that characterize much of the album. The bass recedes into the background for much of the record, but it is hardly noticed through the guitar assault. Frontman Michael Feerick has a knack for hitting notes that resonate amidst the wash of noise, accented by echoes and reverb to highlight the desolation of the band's sound. The eight minute "Wiper" ebbs and flows through numerous tempo changes while maintaining a constant melody , ending with a sprinkle of 3am, 1947 piano. We then arrive at the highlight of the album, the driving "Venosa" with its three chord progression, three note lead guitar over the chorus, and Feerick's tempo-squeezed vocals ("tie me to the telephone, make me be a slave to it ... all you've ever known is what they told you"). The album returns to instrumental pieces in "Asphalt (Interlude)", a build of piano and noise, and "The Ramones Song", interspersed with more driving rock in "Smokescreen", and the guitar and cymbal wail of drumless closer "Local Boy Makes Good". To wrap up, there's not a whole lot of thematic variety in the album, but Feerick definitely succeeds in his genre of choice.

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