AMPUTECHTURE

Amputechture combines experimentality with good, solid composing and incredible performances. It can come across as bleak, strange, uncomfortable--but overall, it has it's own unique identity, and will pull you in after you familiarize yourself with it. The performances of this album pack an unusually high amount of energy. There is a good balance between hard to follow chaos and memorable hooks and melodies. Unilke Francis the Mute, there is much less boring ambient noodling--and when it exists, it doesn't last for 5 minutes or more. You can actually sit down and listen to this album as a whole, without ever feeling the temptation to skip to the next track. The instrumentation and compositions are more diverse and dense than Deloused. Most criticism is of the lyrics, however, I can't imagine anything more fitting than the surreal and strange lyrics. Anything attempting to be too coherent would just seem out of place. "The kiosk in my temporal lobe is shaped like Rosalyn Carter."

I've heard nothing in recent times quite like this. TMV is one of the premiere progressive acts out now--and this is there most mature and tasteful offering. This is challenging music, but well worth the reward. If you haven't been keeping up with modern trends in progressive music, this is probably the single best album to start with. Not a bad song or boring moment. Even the comedown at the end, with it's abrubt, amputated ending, seems fitting. It may not be supremely popular at present, but this album will stand the test of time and be talked about across genres for generations to come. 5 stars -- no question. I can't wait to...