Enderness (CD)
A.A. Bondy
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Amoeba Review
08/28/2020
On his first new album in eight years, singular singer/songwriter A.A. Bondy departs even further from the bluesy Americana of his early albums than he did with 2011's Believers. Enderness brings a new instrument, keyboard, to the forefront of its sparse but mesmerizing soundscape, layering organ drones and spacey synths over drum machine beats. There is a chilly, distant feel to these songs, not the least because Bondy's voice is so much less the focus of this new record; his usually warm vocals are hushed and mournful here, giving way completely on three instrumental tracks. It's more of a Portishead approach to the blues, perhaps, for Bondy. “Pan Tran” is a gorgeous medley of synths that can't help but be uplifting, yet on the intriguing “In The Wonder,” the vocals wobble in despairingly from somewhere far away – embodying the overall gloom of the album.