Single Review;
Amplifico - Comedy Stops Here
The second of 2 ‘officially’ finished tracks, according to their blog, from their forthcoming debut album, an album that’s being funded through gig ticket sales, sales of their two Hometakes EPs and fan donations.
First, a wee bit of history of the song. ‘Comedy Stops Here’ was first heard on the Amplificast, the band’s podcast, where snippets of it could be heard while the band recorded themselves discussing songwriting and production at the recording studio. Rolled out in subsequent weeks at gigs around the country, it became clear it was a dyed in the wool crowd pleaser; athemic and melodic, grabbing ambivilent teenage audiences at uber-cool Glasgow venues and satisfying long-toothed fans at the same time. Speaking personally, I heard the track in it’s entirety at ABC2 in Glasgow at the turn of the year and awoke the following morning with the chorus buzzing around my head, prompting me to email the band and beg for an mp3 of it to sate my inner ear’s fixation.
Finally the song is finished and I’ve had the pleasure of playing on the tartanpodcast, and listening to it several times on my iPod.
Musically it’s much more mature than most of Hometakes 1&2, with a few expections, such as ‘10p Mix’. But that’s to be expected as it’s plain that Amplifico have grown considerably as songwriters, musicians and performers over the past year. However, classic Amplifico hooks are in place, such as Ross’s signature hard angled yet tuneful riffs nestling just behind Donna’s punctuated piano. A noticeably dirty overdubbed guitar adds a nice texture to the verses, and the lead up to each chorus echoes the middle 8; subtler and quieter, giving the chorus more bite. The chorus itself is a work of art, a thing of infectious beauty. Accessible yet profound at the same time, I defy you not to be mumbling it under your breath days after you hear it for the first time.
Repeat listening isn’t required for ‘Comedy Stops Here’, the track itself demands it.
This could we be the single that ‘breaks’ Amplifico from struggling yet gifted Edinburgh musos to A&R courted hotties.