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Washed Out

Amor Fati

(Weird World; US: 7 Nov 2011; UK: 7 Nov 2011)

This single, taken from Washed Out’s debut album Within and Without, is less a song than a chillwave jingle.  Trading in bedsheet-thin synths and a radiant ‘80s pop ambience, bedroom songsmith Ernest Greene exhales a wafting vocal melody over an infinitely-repeating four-chord progression for more than four minutes.  There’s barely a tune here—and yeah, that’s kind of the point—but regardless of the intention, the unfortunate result is that the production comes off as if it was worked out in 20 minutes.  The new track “Call It Off” is similar in form, though it’s at least more memorable and has a nice stark ending, while both remixes of “Amor Fati” exhibit far more character and nuance than the original.  All this means that the EP actually improves the longer one listens.  Nevertheless, that upward slope in quality can’t obscure the fact that the title track remains a pretty weak A-side.

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Hailing from California, AJ Ramirez graduated with a BA in English in 2006, and then spent two years working as co-music director at freeform college radio station KDVS 90.3 FM. Since 2010 he has been editor of PopMatters' Sound Affects music blog. He's most at home scouring libraries for band biographies and reading old print music articles archived online.


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By PopMatters Staff
28 Dec 2011
The year's best songs are headlined by an instant synth pop classic, the massive hitmaking of the planet's hottest new diva, the pristine harmonies of a young band headed for greatness, the return of the poster boys for indie rock, and an instant Americana classic.
By Ryan Lester
11 Nov 2011
Judging by their enthusiastic set at the Mohawk, Washed Out may have something truly great up their sleeves.
26 Jul 2011
Within and Without is a pretty lush and orchestrated album, and it seems otherworldly and existing in its own place in the musical stratosphere.
19 Jul 2011
Expanded musical treatment for new and old songs warm up the chill vibe
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