Villa Amorini
Jansen, 2021
8/10
A very diverse outfit from Norway, this sophomore album from Orions Belte embraces psych and world music ideas in a primarily instrumental journey of layered and creative nods to the club days of the past, as Øyvind Blomstrøm, Chris Holm and Kim Åge Furuhaug weave in and out of unpredictable song craft.
“Bean” starts the listen percussively strong as warm guitar lines meet is a bluesy, pop and psychedelia fueled intersection, and “Speakeasy” follows with playful drumming and atmospheric keys adding much to the indie-rock influenced climate.
Nearing the middle, the melodic and flowing “Drumstick” offers an orchestral quality to the beautifully textured landscape, while “Dearest” recruits light and airy singing amid a dreamy delivery. “Lotus”, one of the album’s best, then gets mysterious and nearly prog-like with its carefully timed spacey moments alongside intricate guitar work and bouncy backdrop.
Close the end, the wordless vocals and dynamic rhythm section of “Mouth” helps the tune glide with a reflective, cinematic quality that even hints at hip-hop, and “Conversaciones” exits the listen swift, cultured and with bilingual singing in a glorious pop finish.
The trio call Villa Amorini a ‘homage to an era of loud music, club nights, ugly shirts and long afterparties”, and I’m happy to call it an exciting and stylish effort of synth-pop, soul-jams and innovative indie-pop you won’t forget anytime soon.
Travels well with: Mr. Gnome- The Day You Flew Away; The Flaming Lips- King’s Mouth