The Amazing – Piggies – Album Review
by Killian Laher

Swedish band The Amazing return with their sixth album, six years after their previous album In Transit.  Despite the Manson-evoking title, not much has changed in their world in that time judging by this album.  It opens with Streetfighter, all languid guitars and soft vocals, a relaxed track to just melt into.  There’s not a lot of variation after that, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It’s followed up by the languid, gentle electric fuzz of Antichrist, as chilled out a song with that title as you could possibly imagine.  After this, the folky picking and harmonies on the title track are almost Simon and Garfunkel, while Last Stand is probably a little too close to The Cure’s Picture of You for comfort.  Cinnamon’s clean electric guitar arpeggios are the type of thing that Mark Kozelek used to excel at back in his Red House Painters days, and later I Think I Found A Way channels a mid-70s soft-rock feel, probably the poppiest thing they’ve ever done.  The final track Through The Cracks does the type of widescreen mid-80s thing The War On Drugs strive for, with a lot less fuss.  It’s all very tasteful and, while not as strong as 2016’s Ambulance, it’s a highly agreeable way to spend 40 minutes or so.

Piggies