Aum – Aletheia

Words by Amanda Ratcliffe

Popular up and coming producers, Jeremy Graham and Daryl Turner have been involved with the local music scene for the past few years now, gaining quite the following along the way.

Originally starting out playing the guitar and bass in a band together, after a year, the pair went on to create Hamilton’s most intriguing electronic act, Aum. They’ve performed alongside the likes of Optimus Gryme, as well as the much-admired lads, Knights of the Dub Table, and are looking forward to more live shows in 2010 with the release of their debut album titled, Aletheia.

After a radio interview with the masterminds behind it, it’s obvious that the featured tunes on this album are well thought out and have been delicately put together to craft an experience like no other.

Introducing themselves with Deep Freeze and Dark Turns, the duo create a surreal feast for the senses – precisely mixed with just the right amount of bass to keep the ambient glow that these guys are so well known for. A personal favorite is Analog Squid, which was inspired by the ‘Colossal Squid’ living at Te Papa in Wellington.

With that in mind, while listening to this track, it’s easy to imagine that oversized jelly-like creature living in the sea – hovering and scooping up everything in it’s path with it’s giant tentacles…creepy.

A lighter side to the album is Chinese Wisdom, which features the skills from Xiyao Chen of Red Dynasty plucking a Gu-Zeng – a traditional Chinese instrument that will be recognized straight away. This is a beautiful tune that has been on the play list at the university radio station since the beginning of 2009 due to its local popularity.

Heavy Armour takes on a new life, which is bold with an almost robotic feel, while Waste-age starts out fresh and graceful before hitting some dirty deeper notes to remind us that these guys mean serious business.

The bonus track on the disc titled I Used To See Pleasure is an ‘Aum-step remix’ which provides a snippet of what the duo are working on at present. This is another striking track, which features Brendon Putt of Knights of the Dub Table on the Trumpet. Aletheia is a solid debut from a band that is definitely going places.

Visit Aum on Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/aumnz