Amateur Dramatics

Minotaur Shock (aka) David Edwards follows the lively synth pop shanties of Maritime with Amateur Dramatics, an album that's as big a step forward for his music as Maritime was compared to what came before it. Where that album was bright, bouncy, and overtly synthetic with a few live instruments, Amateur Dramatics is often dark, sophisticated, and urgent, with even more live instrumentation — courtesy mostly of violinist James Underwood and woodwind player Emily Wakefield — and nods to classical composition. "AmDram" is a perfect example of the album's direction, but there are still plenty of moments where Minotaur Shock's playfulness and love of '80s synth pop is out in full force. "Accelerated Footage" is particularly witty, pitting rapid-fire blips and a relentless synth-bass with saxophone and strings. Edwards' gift for character sketches is stronger than ever, especially on "Zookeeper," which opens the album with wry interplay between piano, violin, and a glitchy rhythm, and on "Jason Forrest," a cranky sounding track propelled by a Detroit techno-tinged beat and given a twist with spiraling saxophones and guitars. However, Amateur Dramatics' best track is "This Plane Is Going to Fall," which melds the breathy vocals of Anna-Lynne Williams into a soothing, hypnotic, and surprisingly danceable track. A seamless mix of styles and sounds, this album shows that Edwards can make almost any kind of music into Minotaur Shock music.