Review: Mi Ami – Steal Your Face
Mi Ami – Steal Your Face (2010) [Thrill Jockey] // Grade: B+
I’ve been a sucker for anything with a world beat lately, and if this reference point happens to include tropical rhythms, instant bonus points. But I’d never thought I’d hear those stylistic influences employed as expansively as they’re used on Mi Ami’s sophomore release, Steal Your Face.
While it’s true Steal Your Face favors similar sounds to last year’s debut, Watersports, heavier grooves and combative delivery turn the familiar notes of dub, psych and postpunk into an entirely new sound. The trio, led by frontman (and Black Eyes member) Daniel Martin-McCormick, launch into explosive delivery immediately on opener “Harmonics (Genius Of Love)”, making it clear that Steal Your Face intends to melt your face. “Harmonics” is a convulsive start intended to shock you into the following five tracks. It’s not nearly as interesting or developed as the rest of the album, but it’s immediate power is undeniably successful as a hook.
It might be easy to regard Mi Ami as messy noise, but trio have a firm grasp on experimentation and their skill breaks through Steal Your Face‘s abundance of screeches and wails. Martin-McCormick takes vocal cues from Whitney Houston, inserting a vocal snippet of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” on “Latin Lover”, a track that stacks punk vocals on top of classic rock guitar, then breaks down into a shredding tropical dub groove session.
The band have an equally stellar grasp on pacing, knowing that after “Latin Lover”‘s assertive ending, the best answer is not more noise. The calming tribal rhythms and floating vocals of “Dreamers” provides a break that makes the impending noise of “Secrets” welcome upon its arrival. “Native American (Born In The U.S.A.)” would have made a great choice for a slow-burning closer, but “Slow” steals that duty, ending Steal Your Face with art punk gestures.
