AMILLIONSONS - The First One's Free (Shiva Records, 2005)

Review by Christine Moritz

Nottingham-based Amillionsons recently released their debut full-length on the Shiva label. In addition to The First One's Free, this year the label has released albums by Neon Heights and Fug, alumni of the Glasgow Underground and Nuphonic labels respectively. Amillionsons' album--a bit of a mishmash--is primarily downtempo, with tracks ranging from the hauntingly beautiful "Need You Tonight" to the Tommy Guerrero-esque moody funk of "Moonlounger." There's also the unreservedly fun-loving, uptempo "Stay Off the Dope," a jaunty number that samples the theme music from The Simpsons; the electro-tinged "Outta My Head"; and a short interlude named "Compulsory Jazz Track." Bridging the downtempo and humorous tendencies is "Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck," a catchy track that repeatedly spells out "F-U-C-K" over a keyboard hook and a coy female spoken sample. "My Love" similarly marries the serious and the silly, pairing ridiculous personals-ad-style introductions with a reading of Lord Byron's "When We Two Parted."

A highlight of the album is the gently plaintive "Need You Tonight," whose exquisite female vocals recall the sweetness of dZihan & Kamien tracks like "Drophere" or "Thrill." Complementing the vocals here and in the album-opening "Misti Blu" (a reworking of soul singer Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue") are four songs featuring Andy Juan, whose soulful but slightly rough-edged voice recalls that of Ikon collaborator and Jalapeno solo artist Ian Britt. Among these is the single "Summer Song," which features a slow shuffle beat buoyed by strings. The real standout, however, is the sublime album-concluding "No Encore," a ten-minute-long track exploring finality. With The First One's Free, Amillionsons have assembled an unlikely but appealing mix of the quirky and the achingly evocative.