AMiniature

1988-1996

San Diego band that made it's run from 1990-1997. These guys say it best: "aMininature-the a is silent; it's there to differentiate the group from a jazz ensemble named Miniature-is Korean-American John Lee's baby. He writes all the music and is the only original member still in the group, which undergoes a dizzying number of personnel changes every year, with bassist Colin Watson the only constant.

The dark energy and tempered hope of Lee's densely layered songs are buillt with two or three hooks going at once; the bass parts alone would make some songs memorable. Equally adedt at building a memorable sound and solid structures, Lee fluctuates a song's intensity by thickening or paring down the arrangement, interwining simple but distinctive guitar riffs that provide an irresistible momentum.

Lee's vocals are like another instrument equal to the guitar, nearly shouted yet at the same time melodic in blunt, minimal way." -Steve Holtje from "Music Hound ROCK: The Essential Album Guide" 1999.......... aMiniature is fond of toying with the typical rock verse-chorus-verse song structure by writing parts that keep evolving rather than repeating. You want your bridge clearly marked? Stay away from these San Diego wailers.

Along with his intense, distortion-soaked power-chording, the guitarist and lead vocalist, John Lee, has an interesting, odd way of hitting sharp, blasting notes that break through the thick sound. The lyrics are hardly decipherable over the screaming guitars. But since this is a punk rock band, I thinks it's safe to assume they're disscussing alienation and other, like, facets of nihilism-much like the awesome Clash (a good thing, although many of these songs sound, shall we say, very Clash-like).

Overall, their music feels like it's supposed to sound accidental but is in fact pulled together very carefully. Kind of like controlled chaos, no? -Mary Ann from Sassy Magazine Feburary 1994 (4 out of 5 hearts).......... Few bands live up to their often hyperbolic comparisons and name-drops found within their record company bio. Much to our delight (and initial surprise, we'll admit), San Diego's aMiniature manages to validate references to such sonic innovators as Gang Of Four and Wire.

Many bands have traced those bands' blueprints, yet aMiniature seems more interested in emulating their brand of creativity, resulting in a recording that is more spirited than derivative. Vocalist/guitarist John Lee and guitarist Kevin Wells play their instruments in complimentary fashion, either harmonizing brilliantly ("Physical Climber") or clashing brittle sounds just enough to make the ultra-melodic bits (which remind us of Buffalo Tom) stand out even more. DepthFiveRateSix may not be remembered in the canon of great guitar records (it merely retools some old tricks very well), yet its tremendous undercurrent of skill and devious interplay indicate that the band's subsequent releases may reshape the way we hear gutars in rock.