AM Syndicate ‎– Empire CD

AM Syndicate ‎– Empire CD

"Fusing the indie rock elements of Arcade Fire with the fragmented folk of Animal Collective, Austin-based eight-piece AM Syndicate have concocted an intriguing, artful album with Empire. Boasting members of Rhythm of Black Lines, Knife in the Water, the Rise, and ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, the disc opens with a vignette that begets "Kicking a Sailor in the Teeth," a successful, violin-laden prog rock experiment. Commercial allure be damned, AM Syndicate hardly seem concerned with song structure, as evidenced by the Eastern vibe of "Textura Aspero" and the disc's offbeat opus, "Ode to the Office Goat." Challenging listeners with the chant-heavy waltz "Those Who Wave Flags" -- where vocalist Omar Demian Chavez looks to "wash away the blood from these hands" -- the band's disdain for the land of the free carries over into the punkish "Democracy or the World" with interesting results." - John D. Luerssen