M+A - things.yes Review

Dazzling arrangements overcome a lack of story and sing-songy tunes.

M+A - things.yes (2011) - 6.9 / 10.0
Monotreme Records

M+A is the Italian duo of Michele Ducci (vocals, instruments) and Alessandro Degli Angioli (instruments). Both men are fairly young guys, so based on this information -- their age and the fact that they're a duo -- you can probably ascertain that they're another DIY band breaking into the indie pop and electronic genre mashup known as 'electro-pop'. While their music is certainly catchy, the vocals don't follow the 'electro-pop' blueprint of clear or direct singing in the forefront. Instead, M+A choose sparse, fragmented speech to accentuate the dazzling arrangements.

For the most part, it actually works; though, I think a guest vocalist would really put their music over as something magnetic and inescapable. Case in point is Zola Jesus' appearance on M83's track "Intro" from Hurry Up We're Dreaming. Michele Ducci, who is credited for the vocals, doesn't seem like he's incapable of taking the lead. "Bam", the best track on the album, features Ducci singing, and he's pretty good. The group has stated in interviews, We don’t want to say anything nor teach it. We only want to leave something where anyone can feel or imagine what he wants.

While that statement could turn away fans concerned with a story or message to their music, you would be missing out on some decent electro tracks. M+A deal with a lot of syncopated noises and seem to inject something different into each individual track, such as the trumpets on "Liko Lene Lisa". Fans of bells, whether they're jingling, ringing like doorbells, or are just metallic clinks and clanks, will be most pleased as the group incorporates them in many of their samples. While M+A's crafted samples and loops often take center-stage, they serve up plenty synthesizer ice cream with sprinkle, but they steer clear of heading in '80s retro territory and keep things decidedly current.

M83 released what many are calling their defining album this year. In comparison, M+A are releasing their debut album that captures the same spirit of M83's music. However, M+A are not on the same level...yet. Once they understand what they want to say, I think listeners will be engaged by the conversation.


BERGEN.JPG (soft version) from M+A on Vimeo.