album review: m+a. things.yes. 7 november 2011. monotreme records
(buy here)

every now and again an album crops up that it is just impossible to stop listening to. in these days of itunes and ipods (and other bits of kit not made by apple) it is simple to forget that you’re on the third listen in rotation of an album, and when you realise you don’t mind one jot. that has to be a good sign that the music is doing something right.

things.yes is one such album. whether that’s due to it being less than 3/4 hour long, or because the tracks pull together in such a way that you’re quite happy to drift away listening to it is unclear. one thing is for sure though, m+a have some serious talent coming out of their italian fingers. just out of their teens, the duo have not been shy about admitting they have been heavily influenced by the music they listen to. air and sigur Ros are the obvious comparisons, and sounds of the avalanches and even early does it offend you, yeah? crop up as well.

this is m+a’s album though. they’ve put in the time and they’ve stuck to their ideals to make an album that they themselves would listen to. there is the perfect mix of samples and a cohesion with both their voices that is rare and hard to force. it’s dreamy, it’s mysterious, it’s unusual, it’s brilliant.

the cover art of the album is fucking gorgeous as well. so simple and so perfect. just like the album inside.

9

this review originally appeared on the 405