Sounds like…
A mash-up of trip-hop, pop and lounge jazz
The review
Amanda Easton holds a unique place for me in my music discovery. When I first got the internet and discovered the original mp3.com site, I searched the singer-songwriter genre. There I found her debut EP and proceeded to spend about 45 minutes downloading the 4mb song!
Moving into 2020 and Amanda Easton has returned to her thin synth-pop styles for ‘Polaroids and Postcards’. The 6 track EP is a hark back to synth-led alt-pop that populated the edgier side of pop in the late 90s and early 2000s. Amanda takes pleasure in riding beats that are slow to mid-tempo burners. Combined with her powerful voice and synths that feel mimic organs, it’s a groovy lite vibe.
The title track stands out as a favourite here as it’s the most complex and cinematic. The opener ‘Man Who Fell to Earth’ fits a similar vibe. ‘Rockabilly Blue’ is a synth blues ballad that lets Amanda’s voice shine through. It also reminds me of her jazzy blues EP from many years ago. Slightly less successful is ‘Letter to a Small Boy’ which feels a little too thin and sparse instrument wise.
It is lovely to hear Amanda Easton is still doing her own thing musically though. Whilst ‘Shiver’ will remain iconic and have a special place in my mind, this new EP has some growers on it. Lovers of chilled keyboard-led pop will be most at home here. There is a smouldering hint of lounge act bubbling under the surface which is what makes it distinctive. I just yearned for a bit more fullness to the mix in the choruses.
Recommended track: Polaroids & Postcards
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Amanda Easton - Polaroids & Postcards
Hey Simon, I’m so honored to be part of your first experience of downloaded music – thank goodness the internet has speed up since then! Thanks so much for your review. Xx
Thank you so much for commenting! Always a pleasure to hear music from you and looking forward to hearing where you go next!
Thanks Simon. x