Amari/ Poweri

Amari
Poweri
(Riotmaker)

Like a tub of Iceland own-brand ice cream, Amari’s latest album ‘Poweri’ is pleasant, but a bit naff. Formed in Italy in 1996, they are very much a product of their decade and sound a bit like LCD Soundsystem fronted by Antoine De Caunes.
They put their English lyrics through the most bizarre cheesegrater, and pack ‘Poweri’ full of premium parmesan chunks such as “girls and vodka speak to me / with their sticky eyes / and a sticky surprise” or “she is the girl, the girl of my sadness.” It’s all very profound.
Basically, Amari are Basement Jaxx for beginners, and though odd in a thoroughly European way, they are somehow fairly passable. This is what you’d get if you mixed the Beta Band and Delorean with Crazy Frog.
Michael Bennett