AvMo - The Wall

Hear The Track Here

One of the main problems with being a reviewer of any sort is that you, in the process, stick your head up over the parapet and you are more than likely to get it shot off. Now you would think that by the 800th time I lost my head, I would have learned something but no... When I first started doing this I promised myself that I would always say what I thought, no matter what, and sometimes that gets in the way and sometimes it doesn't. When I reviewed AvMo's Learn To Live (September 2008) I stated that I found the sound a bit rough but that I kinda liked the overall track because of the ideas behind it. So, just so we are clear on this, when I use the term 'workmanlike' I generally mean it in a good way; ie someone who spends time crafting their peices. That much was obvious from the track, even if I didn't particularly care for the sound or some of its elements.

By the time I started to become familiar with The Wall (no, not that one), it also became obvious that Avmo has a very 'home produced' sound. Not that this is a bad thing; it just is. Most people will pass it by and either get off on the track or not. Musically, as usual, the track has muscle and power with some lovely, fluid guitar runs that punctuate the later part of the song. Again, like Learn To Live, there are endless musical references to be found in it; for example I got early 70's folk rock from the first plays...

and that's not a bad thing either.

However, no matter how much I wriggle and posture, there is no escaping a couple of salient facts. I think even AvMo would admit that he doesn't have the greatest voice in the world and it is IMHO (obviously) going to be something of an acquired taste. In my time, I have known artists like this to grow on me enormously but up to now Avmo hasn't done it for me although The Wall certainly gets there musically. Hand on my heart, I can't even point to anything that is really wrong with the track so it just has to be a taste thing. As a slow rock peice, The Wall is an excellent song regardless of what I may or may not think. If you like the genre, give this a taste.

Recommended slow rock.