From
hyper-active, electro space-pop to dreamy pop rock, this release is completely
absorbing. It's so well crafted, a non-stop tour of great beats and grooves,
with plenty of uptempo stuff to keep you from dosing at the wheel during the
more dreamy stuff. At times it reminds me of the Stone Roses or Luna, but other
songs have frantic beats more along the lines of drum and bass or techno. It's
an electronic rock masterpiece with a mix of male and female vocals, sung
accordingly with the tempo of the music. This album will make you speed when
driving. (CM)
THE
MORNING NEWS
15 September 2003
Album
of the Week: The Emerald Down, Aquarium EP; A Study in Her,
Auto-Amputation
Not in
Oxford (OX4, for some of you), not in Reading, not anywhere in the UK, in fact,
but in Toledo, Ohio, is the where the new shoegazing (Ride, My Bloody Valentine,
Slowdive, et al) movement lives, courtesy of T-Town record label Honest in Secret, well-proven Ohio
s’gazers The Emerald Down, and A Study in Her (whose members are situated in
Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Maryland, Bloomington, Boston, DC, and New Haven –
kind of like us, in that way).
…
A Study in Her – a collective or band or
something (nobody told us) – has released something quite brilliant in
Auto-Amputation, an album that spans about 4,000 songwriting genres, all
of which we will place, very closed-mindedly into the category of ‘shoegazing.’
After all, there’s a heavy, heady influence of MBV all over it. And
Slowdive…even Chapterhouse! Of course, to be totally honest here, Chapterhouse
never quite got this good: Sorry. All of these statements are, unfortunately,
too limiting, since A Study in Her eases quite often into more experimental
electro (read: Prima Donnas, Suicide) as well. And with a healthy sense of humor
too. A Study in Her: amorphous, but very engaging. And it sounds like they
probably don’t really care what we think about it, either.
PLUG IN MUSIC
(March 2004)
Each
track on A Study In Her’s “Auto-Amputation” is like a grab bag. From the vocals
(which are performed by both men and women) to the mood (upbeat or gentle) to
the style (indie rock or electronic rock), you do not know what to expect on the
next song.
With a light and poppy indie rock sound, “Bodies and Bodies”
opens the album and is a song by A Study In Her mastermind Constantine
Valenzuela Nakassis. Following the gentle first track, “Giant Robot” jerks you
awake with its aggressive style of electronic twinkling and rapid programmed
drumbeats. The chance in pace was momentary, at least, as “It’s All Alright” and
“The Tension of Non-touching” returning to the gentle guitar rock sound. Relying
again on fast drumbeats which slow for vocals, “‘Hybrid Energy’” has a fuzzy and
spacey sound that is mixes the indie rock with electronic. Engaging and catchy
“Stuttering and Simply Stopping” is a mid tempo guitar rock driven song with
melodic vocals. Using programmed drumbeats heavily, “XL” is the album’s most
electronic-oriented song with vocal mixing. The song is catchy and infectious
with its danceable rhythm and memorable lyrics like “We know what the people are
talking about, singing about, shouting about.” “He Will Write the Histories of
Estrangement” has an upbeat poppy sound while the stripped down “Instruction
From Her Hero, a Young Woman on Guitar” focuses on wonderfully melodic female
vocals. More straightforward electronic and relying heavily on scratching and
mixing “An Outline of an Order (44+60 Redux)” offers an interesting and unique
interlude while “Unhindered and Unhinged” has a surprisingly feel good sound
about it with an upbeat and poppy melody and fuzzy guitars. “Auto-Amputation”
closes, somewhat surprisingly, with an eerie but serious sounding instrumental.
A Study In Her’s album has a variety of sounds and songs, from gentle
and poppy indie rock to quick paced dance. The variety is sometimes too much and
the tracks make little sense in the way they are organized; perhaps two separate
EPs would have been better. With that said, the range of sounds and emotions
conveyed on the album has a flexible appeal – “Auto-Amputation” is not,
necessarily, an album you have to be in the mood for; the mood of the songs
finds you.
Grade: B
-Corinne
Shredding Paper zine
A Study in Her – “Auto-Amputation” CD 15/62:22
Driving, melodic dreampop from Toledo with male-female harmonies and lots of fuzzy accoutrements. Some songs (“Bodies and Bodies”) set themselves up around dreamy guitar melodies and driving beats, while others (“Giant Robot”) sound like a cross between Beck’s “Midnite Vultures” neon-tinged tomfoolery and the harsh electro-punk of Atari Teenage Riot. The vocals are a bit thin and awkward at times, but the intuitive repetition and obvious love of indie hallmarks makes for a stunningly diverse listen. The studio wizardry hints that if they could settle on a particular sound, A Study in Her might have a masterpiece on their hands. “Stuttering and Simply Stopping” is a masterful blend of chiming notes and ass-tight drum loops that would be right at home atop college radio charts. Think Pinback with less focus and talent, and you’re close. John