aMute — A hundred dry trees
aMute is Jerome Deuson, a twenty-something living in Brussels, Belgium. Deuson used to be the man who worked in one of the best shops in the city until his music made him a little more than that, in my eyes at least…
Deuson provides us here some beautiful moments. The central instrument is the guitar. It’s used in a way that should please fans of delicate post-rock harmonies. Contemplative, simple melodies soaring in intensity. But, contrary to bands such as Mogwai or Mono, Deuson never uses distortion for the sake of distortion. All the better… The guitar lines sort of “swim” in a sea of varied sounds. Laptopism is where it’s at, but once again, the music is subtle enough to avoid the listener to feel the urge to rush to the nearest exit door yelling “déjà-vu, déjà-vu… I’m bored!!!” As much as the guitar’s, the electronic parts are delicate. Rich in sounds, but, never overcrowded. You get lengthy drones, ambient bits à la Stars of the Lid, clicks and glitches à la Scanner or Oval, as well as field recordings. Nice and dreamy music, it is. Melancholic and sad, it is. Light and understated, it also is.
A hundred dry trees is the work of someone who almost master his craft. Deuson is not quite a companion (as in compagnonnage), he still is an apprentice. This particularly shows on the few minutes where he uses beats. Uninspired to say the least. But he is a damn talented companion and I’m sure he will address the problem when it’s time to tackle the recording of his next album. His chef d’oeuvre? Here is hoping…
On a last note: I don’t like the artwork. Amateurish (in a bad way). But, as usual with Intr_version, the lay-out is nice.