A Mountain Of One - 'Collected Works' (10 Worlds) Released 15/10/07

A Mountain Of One (Or AMO1 for short) have been slowly creating a buzz about themselves on the underground with a pair of EP’s that both sold out immediately. Compared in the past to Pink Floyd, Santana and Arthur Lee and whilst these comparisons might not be entirely fair (They are somewhat generous) they put you in the right ball park for what AMO1 are doing. Luckily for those too slow off the mark both 12”s have been compiled into an album with bonus tracks added on.

‘Collected Works’ takes you back to the 70s immersing itself in the celestial sounds of prog rock and West Coast pyschadelia. Yes that was Prog and Psychadelia in one fell swoop, you know where the back button is if you need it. AMO1 aim to be akin to Talk Talk, Fleetwood Mac, The The or Brian Eno. They don’t quite scale those heights but there are moments on this LP that show some sort of promise. The first five tracks are ambient but restrained bouts of chilled electronica: ‘Ride’ and ‘Freefall’ are slow movers but showcase an incredible musician ship from AMO1s members.

‘Can’t Be Serious’ on the other hand is a darker more punchy take on the slow songs that have preceded it. Sadly the LP’s second half is elongated, devoid of any real tunes and at times very frustrating. Not one song comes in at under six minutes, which is not a problem if you have the music to back it up but when it sounds like half an idea stretched until breaking point then it really does not sit well. ‘Innocent Reprise’, ‘People Without Love’ and ‘Ard Of Abraham’ all sound like bad lift music.

Ultimately this album is unlikely to gain AMO1 any new fans; it’s merely a handy compilation of two niche but relatively popular EP’s. Essentially nothing more than a music snob’s wet dream this band aims for the stars and basically falls short at every hurdle.