As the first gauzy strums of songwriting-duo Amor de Días’s new album began to wash over my ears I instantly regretted my choice of location in an urban coffee-shop, wishing instead I were on a beach somewhere, reclining in the sand and basking in sunlight. Appropriately titled, The House at Sea is the sort of album where, closing your eyes, you could lose yourself for hours in the lush, hushed vocals, Spanish-style romanticism and beautiful, mellow melodies. A warm cocoon of sound, it lifts you with gentle lulls and carries you off to that dream-place where time stand stills.
“Voice in the Rose,” “In the Winter Sun,” and “Day” all evoke a perfect leisure. Nature-esque ambiances conjure up breezy, exotic locales, while touches of flamenco festivity kindle the music’s energy and passion. Captivating, soothing voices suffuse the tranquil journey of “The House at Sea” with distant calls and serene desires while “Hampshire Lullaby” envelopes you with flutey calls. “Jean’s Waving” is the most fun on the album, with its bright upbeat melodies that recall delectable sixties tunes.
Latter tracks are mellower and darker—“The Sunlit Estate” exhibits spacey synths, festering ambiances, and close deep vocals that whisper secrets in your ear, while “Maureen” floats ghostly whispers, pounds portentous drums and strums its guitar unsettlingly to a beautiful, haunting melody. Many of the tracks sound similar, but amazingly not at all repetitive. It’s truly as though you are listening to one long, beautiful song—one from which you won’t want to tear yourself away.
