Mi Ami - Dolphins Review

Indie Rock group Mi Ami have lost a few members and taken a turn to the decidedly electronic and experimental. Believe it or not, this is really, really good news.

 Mi Ami - Dolphins (2011) – 6.0 / 10.0

Release Date: March 15, 2011
Running Time: 30:38
Label: Thrill Jockey Records
Genre: Indie Electronic, Experimental Dance Pop
Drug of Choice: Ecstasy, Cocaine, Mushrooms
Key Tracks:
"Hard Up"
"Echo"

How does a Post-Hardcore band transfer into an experimental Electronic Dance band? Well, that is exactly what Mi Ami set their sights on with the group's newest EP, Dolphins. For the most part, Mi Ami succeeds in seamlessly crossing over and making fun party music. The only hitch is that when I say 'experimental', there is no sense of exaggeration in the word. Though Dolphins is only four songs long, it still comes to a staggering 30 minute run time. These are not cut and dry dance songs. While I appreciate the singularity of that effort, these tracks really could have used some editing.

The first half of every track is incredibly interesting, then trailing off into a repetition so minimal as to have the listener wondering if they missed the end of the interesting song. Before the song jumps the shark however, there is a lot to be excited about. With a chirpy, idiosyncratic vocal performance, reminiscent of the No Wave band Social Climbers, is enthralling. Instead of opting for more arrhythmic beats that one would expect (possibly because this is their first foray into electronic), the music is the kind of standard dance-floor sound you might expect from the next Emil & Friends record. The result is an incongruity between words and music that works quite well and makes at least half of Dolphins an entertaining listen. There is enough here to have me excited for the band's first full-length release in this brand new territory.


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Reviewer Stats:
Reviews -54
Average Rating - 6.7
Highest Rating - 9.5 Blitzen Trapper's American Goldwing
Lowest Rating - 1.5 D. Charles Speer's Arghiledes