Aminals - Lightning, No

Aminals 

Lightning, No
self-released; 2014

4.0 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Who says you can't be original these days with an acoustic guitar? The wickedly eclectic EP Lightning, No by the solo project Aminals sounds like Panda Bear during his Young Prayer era, Beck during his One Foot in the Grave era mixed with electronic elements and not too far off from Oneohtrix Point Never.

The anchor that binds these songs together fairly well is the acoustic guitar, Aminals’ voice and the use of reverb. As the album progresses it goes in many different direction but these components give the EP a sense of unity.

The album kicks off with “Downing” which is the first song on the album that made me want to sing it in tandem with other people around a campfire but not the last. There aren't many elements besides an acoustic guitar, percussion and the vocalist’s voice but that is all that is needed to make a huge sound. The vocal melody sounds more like something you chant during an ancient ritual than something from a contemporary pop song.


“Sides” combines multiple vocal harmonies with a long reverb while “Jazzual.mark3” is the biggest deviation on the entire album. “Jazzual.mark3” sounds more like something you would hear from Matthew Herbert or Amon Tobin. It’s an upbeat song with a lot of energy and somehow works with the previous material on the album. “Frozen Light “ reverts to a chant around the campfire vibe we heard on the first song except with a bit more melancholy this time around. You are treated to warbly bass synth lines that lay next to an acoustic guitar on “Counterparted” while “Perhaps Though” sounds like the cousin to the Radiohead song “I Might Be Wrong.”

The EP ends with “Start Over,” which is a straight up electronic track incorporating click, bleeps and blips. My only critique is that some of the material feels a bit too disparate. For example “Start Over” is worlds away from “Downing.” With that being said this EP has a number of tracks that are exceptional (still addicted to the first track). Aminals created a very solid foundation for his sound and I am excited to see where he goes from here.

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