Colours Of Sound

On Autamata’s MySpace page, Ken McHugh – the Wicklow-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and creative fulcrum of the band – explains the process behind producing a new album.

“At the beginning I think of my studio as if it were a blank canvas. I start by making beats which I see as foundation lines. Melodies and riffs I see as landscape. I then colour it all in with sound manipulation and texture. In a way I feel like I am painting a picture as much as making music.”
So if Autamata’s third album was a picture, what would it look like? There’s obviously a clue in the title, Colours Of Sound. It’d certainly be bright, colourful, summery, spacious, glorious, abstract, Cubist... and you’d probably be able to plug it in like a Lavalamp as well.
Although there’s a great warmth to the sound, it’s obvious that the studio alchemy takes precedence. The sleeve notes list an impressive array of instruments, pedals, amps, synthesizers and software programmes before mentioning any human contributions. Vibraphones, glockenspiels, Wurlitzer electric pianos... Redrum, Electribe and S3000 drum machines... Small Stone, Space Echo, Sonic Alienator, Supersonic Fuzz Gun... etc.
The cynic in me wonders if McHugh is getting paid for product placement here. He even namechecks the microphones (“Royer, Brauner, Neuman, AKG, Shure and a telephone”).
It wouldn’t be surprising. This is highly commercial music, though this may be by artistic accident rather than dough-hungry design. Like Moby’s 18, Autamata’s two previous albums – 2004’s My Sanctuary and 2006’s Short Stories – provided rich pickings for advertisers and TV and movie producers. Almost every track wound up being licensed (Woody Allen even used one for Match Point).
Although it’s warmer and more up-beat than usual, Colours Of Sound is likely to prove equally popular in that respect. There isn’t a single dud amongst its eleven slickly produced tracks. But it’s not a triumph of style over substance – both are here in equal abundance.
Album opener ‘Effervescent’ is exactly that – a light and bubbly slice of ambient electronica that’ll sound particularly easy on a sunny Sunday morning. ‘What You All About’ follows, and comes across like a musical manifesto as McHugh croons, “All about dreams/ All about fun/ All about noise/ All about sounds...”
‘Marshmallow’ starts off like a Cure song, before the phat electronic squelching kicks in over the eerie riffs. Up-tempo feelgood tracks ‘Come Party At My House’ and ‘Music’s All We Need’ will make sense in any language or time zone.
Of course, McHugh isn’t doing all of this by himself. Cora Venus Lunny takes care of string duties, and regular Autamata collaborators Cathy Davey and Carol Keogh contribute some excellent guest vocals – Davey on the kaleidoscopic ‘Cloud Seekers’ (which sounds somehow reminiscent of a Noughties Bow Wow Wow), and Keogh on ‘Inter-Railing’ and ‘Watching The World Go By’.
Indeed, as those titles suggest, this is great travelling music – there’s even a track called ‘A Drive Through The Countryside’. And there’s a soft and gentle landing; the mellow and trippy final number, ‘Receiver’, sounds like vintage Floyd.
All in all, whether you’re coming up, chilling out, or going out, this is a near flawless piece of work. Think the other Aphex Twin or Kraftwerk with soul - and an Irish passport. Mr. McHugh, take a (rain)bow.