Liam Mour comes in strong after his first motion picture soundtrack.
Above is a surprisingly organic feeling electronic album from Liam Mour. Liam Mour runs his own label called Ode To Youth, composes music for soundtracks, and releases original music in the form of albums, EPs, and singles. He is based out of Berlin and regularly plays at Funkhaus, a thriving community of musicians in Berlin. Previously, Liam worked with Nils Frahm where he managed merch at shows. He has been making music since the age of 10 and began getting into more of the production elements at 13. Since then he’s scored a few episodes of a tv show, worked on two films, and released quite an interesting catalog of music.
Above starts off pretty ambient with the sounds of choir and creates a spacious feel. The EP doesn’t stay this way for long though, Liam uses analog gear, effects, and live instruments to create movement. You can really hear the mixture of a more cinematic soundscape with something you would hear at a club. Liam’s instrumental choices and structural elements definitely remind me of Nils Frahm, Jon Hopkins, and quite a few of the growing and well-known Electronic/Acoustic vein. Recently, there has been an uptick in the interest for this kind of music and I’m glad to see the scene growing. Liam is a welcome addition to my listening catalogue.
This EP reflects a lot of what was lost during the pandemic. A track called “Holding Hands” on the EP was made specifically with that loss of contact in mind. Throughout the album we can feel a great deal of change and growth. There are rainstorm recordings, looping piano parts, strings, synths, choir, and much more. When you finish a track, you will be pleasantly surprised by what follows even if you have it on shuffle. Often we get albums or new releases from artists and by the time the second song rolls around we know what to expect for the rest of the ride. I can appreciate those experiences but always like to see someone break that expectation. That’s not to say that you will be taken out of the listening experience but that you will be greeted with something new that fits in but stands out.
In writing this review I listened through Above quite a few times, mostly from top to bottom, but also on shuffle. After all the listening I’m still entertained, it’s something I’d gladly listen to many more times. This one will go into my regular relistens pile alongside some of the more classic electronic albums like Selected Ambient Works, Music Has the Right to Children, and Drift. If you haven’t already checked out Liam, this one gets a big stamp of approval from me. I look forward to seeing how he grows as a composer and all his future work.
