by osmosis

The darkly foreboding cover of Amen Dunes’ Dia doesn’t have too much to do with what’s inside these grooves, mp3s or discs. One might guess that an afro-beat toting ensemble of former jazzbos seek to recreate some heavy atmosphere of the past and the allusive other. That wouldn’t be a good guess. Being tied to Locust Music, Amen Dunes – the one man show also known as Damon McMahon – one could forsee an extension of folk that’s been filtered through Paul Metzger, the banjo innovator, or Steffen Basho-Junghans. Amen Dunes, while still probably toting around a few hillbilly records in his collection, comes in electrified and tied to a downer rock and roll perception of life. Not downer, like perpetually bummed out, but like a forever probing troubadour that can’t get it right.

At its worst, Dia falls into itself as on “White Lace” with layers of fuzz and dinky production adding needless caveats to a rich folk based music. If that, though, is the album’s one fault, it’s not too problematic when taking in the disc as a whole. But as listeners make their way through this offering, it becomes clear that there are two distinctly different sides to the Amen Dunes project.

As “White Lace” sits a little past the half way marker, its relation to electronic tomfoolery can be forgiven – mostly because half of the song is pretty decent. But the folksier section of this disc only spring up after the first four tracks have been dispensed. Dia’s first ten minutes of music, though, while owing a debt to any band that traffics in atmospheric rock, comes off sounding like the Vanishing Voice at their most shambolic and inflamed. “Fleshless Esta Mira, Wife of Space” gives listeners some groaning vocals over a shuffling rock beat, with its predecessor, “In Caroline,” using the same vocal approach, but matching it with slight sounding keyboard drone and ‘60s style rock noodling. The departure after all of this, while drastic, somehow makes Dia work. In some regards, the shoddy production values unify these tracks, but beyond that, it’s just thoughtfully composed and executed.

At music’s best, there’s an indefinable allure that comes through in those fuzzy waves of guitar strums and group vocals. The best of us are able to attain that. For a moment glimpsing what’s to be, only to have it evolve as we watch. Perhaps what results is better. There’s not a way by which to figure the future and in listening to Dia over and over, the disc seems to be trying to tell listeners this. From the first few disheveled tracks to the latter folk inspired, summer time porch music, it’s all here – well mostly.

[www] Amen Dunes - By the Bridal