SXSW Preview: Adam and the Amethysts
There’s so many acts coming into town, it gets difficult to narrow down the ones that you really want to promote, as you love them all equally. I figure I should give my first shout out to a Canadien group, as they don’t always get to cross the borders as much as we’d like, so here’s Adam and the Amethysts.Adam and the Amethysts is primarily the project of Adam Waito, who moved to Montreal to start off his career. He spent some time playing with Telafauna, a band he helped found, but as with many musicians, the need for an extra outlet began to blossom, so he created the new group. While his first group dabbled in your more traditional indie-pop fare, his new project took on a more psychedelic/experimental take on pop music. Amethyst Amulet was the band’s first effort, and in late 2011 they released Flickering Flashlight. Adam and the Amethysts use both modern and nostalgic pop referenecs in describing the creation of their sound, moving from Sun Araw and Van Dyke Parks to Woods and Chad VanGaalen. Every bit of music on the album is a nod to the past, while looking forward into the musical future. It creates a blissful listen that you’ll revisit time and time again. Here’s a sample of one of the tracks, “Prophecy,” just one of the many gems waiting for you.
Download: Adam & the Amethysts – Prophecy [MP3]