The American Analog Set's debut album is a hushed, evocative soundscape, an entrancing excursion into the realm of lo-fi dream pop. Frontman
Andrew Kenny's songs -- typified by the aptly titled opening cut, "Diana Slowburner II" -- are hypnotic and deceptively simple, constructed of little more than ringing guitars and gently insistent rhythms, with the steady warm hum of a Farfisa coloring the music with a cosmic serenity; vocals creep in and out of the mix, rarely rising above a whisper. The cumulative effect is stunning: while the American Analog Set owe a clear debt to artists like
Galaxie 500 and
Stereolab, theirs is nevertheless an original and unique voice --
The Fun of Watching Fireworks is an experience in complete sonic immersion.