Amos Key

Amos Key is another one of those obscure, one-album gems. It is keyboard, bass, and drum, with emphasis on keyboards. There is some sparsely used guitar, but you'll have to listen closely to find it. The obvious influences are Deep Purple (they even do a little homage in the middle of ?Got the Feeling?) and especially Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Where ELP would lighten the mood with an occasional novelty song, this band is able to maintain a bit of lightheartedness throughout. This is not to say it isn't serious music.

The obvious influences are Deep Purple (they even do a little homage in the middle of ?Got the Feeling?) and especially Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Where ELP would lighten the mood with an occasional novelty song, this band is able to maintain a bit of lightheartedness throughout. This is not to say it isn't serious music. There are times that even get a bit dark. The overall sense is that these guys refuse to take themselves too seriously. What all this means is that ?First Key? is a lot of fun to listen to.

The music is complex, but very accessible. These are three talented musicians. The keyboards are immediately obvious but the tight drums and a machine gun bass line almost take you by surprise. The vocals could be stronger. Sometimes the accent is a bit heavy, and the mix is too low. However, it doesn't detract from the enjoyment.

Line-up:
- Thomas Molin / keyboards, vocals
- Andreas Gross / guitar, bass, vocals
- Lutz Ludwig / drums

Track List:
01. Shoebread ? 4:09
02. Ensterknickstimmstamm ? 3:33
03. Knecht Ruprecht ? 4:52
04. Sometimes ? 2:03
05. Got The Feelin ? 3:11
06. Escape ? 4:02
07. Important Matter ? 5:59
08. Dragon's Walk ? 4:25
09. First Key ? 3:59