The Amplifetes: “The Amplifetes”

Okay so it's definitely not too often that I find myself doing my hair in the mirror while dancing and making a fool of myself. Recently I was watching an old TV show online when a French Garnier Fructis commercial came up. At first I was admiring the idea of the commercial itself until I opened my ears to listen to the really catchy song in the background. I think I might have replayed the commercial at least five times before I gave in to look for the actual song. I found it quite ironic that I found The Amplifetes through a French commercial since they are Swedish. Anyhow, I simply decided to take the liberty to review this new and amazing band that has gotten me hanging from a huge pendulum. Over the past few months I have heard layer upon layer of electro-pop music with no (extreme) charm to my chicken parm, so of course one could assume that my musical reservoir has been quite bland… that is until The Amplifetes came to my rescue!

The Amplifetes are in fact a nascent quartet band straight out of Sweden (and of course they have all worked extensively in the music industry before forming the band). Rolling on over with their guitars, drums, and Henrik Jonnack’s (The Amplifetes’ vocalist) amazing beard, The Amplifetes bring with them gifts that not only glow in the dark, but gifts that allow one’s head to weave and bob from side to side while holding a lighter in the air. Despite the fact that we are a year late with their debut album “The Amplifetes,” (14 September 2010 in the USA as an import) it really shows that when exploring we’ll never know what golden treasures we’ll run into.

The first song on this truly electrifying album is “Intro,” being that the name is so simple so is the track. With my first listen the opening of the album reminded me of the “THX (Lucus Film)” intro, so of course it should be known that you are in for something spectacular. The second track on the album (which by far is my favorite on the entire album, which is also the song from the Garnier Fructis commercial!!) is “Somebody New,” a very enticing and hippy-esque song meant to be danced to… or to bob your head like the brothers in Night at the Roxbury. I can say for a fact that this song is as radiant as laser lights flashing back and forth in a club. The lyrics, “This time why don’t you come along ‘cause I need somebody new,” make the idea of getting over someone pop into mind, almost like a rebound song. The next track, which I favor just as much as “Somebody New,” is “Blinded by the Moonlight,” which instantly flung me into a musical whirlwind. The song starts off strong and keeps building on from where it started, with its catchy beat and exuberantly catchy lyrics what’s left to do other than to dance and mimic the words? The first three songs make for a wonderful opening and it goes to show that The Ampliftetes really explore their musical surroundings because it can be felt in the vibe of their songs and the impact they make on the mind verbally.

Following these curvaceously attractive songs comes “When the Music Died,” one could imagine that music might be contraband and the world has gone bland and grey. Yet apparently as the lyrics go,
“When the music died, it saved our lives; that’s because the music died, and when the music died the stars aligned,” which leaves the commentary box open and ready to take any answers for how music dying would bring humans to salvation. The final track on the album which creates a sort of homey solitude is “There Will Never Be another One,” it really creates a sort of ambience to the entirety of the album and brings back those new found memories of David Bowie and lighters in the air.

‘Bravo!’ to The Amplifetes and their wonderfully composed album, with surgically flares of electricity here and there and the sparks that are executed after every new tune in each song, along with Jonback’s extremely soothing yet romantic voice that simply allude the listening into a magical wonderland. But back to reality, if you’re in the mood for something rather elliptical and mind blowing go check out The Amplifetes, I don’t have a doubt in the world about this band, these guys are amazing and their new found fans are totally in for a big surprise!

Track Listing:
1. Intro
2. Somebody New
3. Blinded by the Moonlight
4. Maxine
5. Fokker
6. It’s My Life
7. A Million Men
8. When The Music Died
9. Whizz Kid
10. There She Walks
11. It Can’t Rain All the Time
12. There Will Never Be Another One

Keep up with The Amplifetes at their homepage, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.

Here is the videos from “Somebody New,” It’s My Life,” and “Whizz Kid” from The Amplifetes Vimeo Channel.

The Amplifetes - Somebody New from THE AMPLIFETES on Vimeo.

The Amplifetes - It´s my life from THE AMPLIFETES on Vimeo.

The Amplifetes - Whizz Kid from THE AMPLIFETES on Vimeo.