End of Amnesia begins with a heavy, turning resonance like that which starts Ry Cooder's Paris, Texas. It's a sound coming out of the darkness, a scratchy phonograph at the end of its cycle, wound up with a gracefully plucked acoustic until its distorted echoes begin to take over.
Next up, the fast-paced, quick fingering of "Color of Water" glides over serene melodies, the rusty stings stirring as a husky vocal slides in, a piano tinkling in the distance as the harmonies keep shifting. "Half Moon" is then introduced with the sound of 1930s wartime radio (a brief Django Reinhardt sample) coohing like an owl's hoot being pounded out by a bass drum, the verse flicking into a palm-muted fall until the natural "starlight" of a blackout resounds. Just before the track fades out on a lo-fi, old-fashioned sound that feel as if it was recorded on a front porch at sunrise, Ward's gentle vocals lilt while a number of "other" noises sneak in from the background....and this is only the beginning.
The slow slides of "So Much Water" quickly steam ahead until the doubled vocals begin to pop in and out, the humbled tint to "but I've already gotten over you" sung sweetly to some divine chord swings. The song closes with the sound of rough, roof-shed-like drums passing away to a refined strum, a scenic, sun-kissed afternoon somehow being pressed into the sound. "Bad Dreams," meanwhile, could only be described as the sound of an old, beat-up radio being shook by a hovering noise (resembling a spaceship) slowly coming over it, drowning it out until, as if woken by a mid-night call, M. Ward reaches for the bed-side guitar, needing to sing of his heartache.
"Archangel Tale" seems so tender and private that it almost feels intrusive to listen in. Keeping time by patting the guitar, fingertips softly on bongos, we go "across the bridge that keeps you from your love" with sounds of violins, bells, and even dolphins drifting by. The sinking guitar of "Silverline" is a rip-roarin' dance of deep and dirty bottleneck, its sounds meeting and overlapping brilliantly in what is an undeniably feel-good tune. It also acts as testament to M. Ward's unique brand of sound by displaying how he manages to seamlessly weave in samples of the likes of Jimmy Reed and yet still sound completely organic.
Article comments
1 - Matt
This has been syndicated to Advance.net, a place affiliated with about 10 newspapers around the country.
Also please let your contact know, if you had one, that this article, is published at another place.
Thank you.
Matt Freelove
2 - crooked spine
Hey, what's the deal with posting a review of an album that's three years old?
I've been posting periodically on this site under the name "crooked spine," which I lifted from a song from M Ward's first CD, called Duet for Guitars #2. I haven't heard End of Amnesia, but Duet for Guitars #2 is fantastic. I'm not sure it's still in print, but if you find a copy be sure to pick it up.
3 - Cian
Well,
I wasn't reviewing as a new release, more of a modern classic. If you follow the link at the bottom of the review, you'll see it has already made it into the "Classic Albums" section of the site (there are also reviews of Transfiguration of Vincent, Transistor Radio along with two live shows). I have indeed had Duet for Guitars #2 in my collection for a years now, thanks for the feedback...