His Name Is Alive

With ambient strings building to a gloriously angelic melody, XMMER’s opening recalls the intro to Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People. Similarly, this is one of the most complete pop masterpieces of the decade. Each song has a presentation so unique as to seem to the work of different groups but the common thread of Andrea Francesca Morici’s ethereal voice binds it all together. Ranging from straight pop experimental African or Oriental themed electro to marching drones, glorious folk and blues, QOSTA-esque chugging riff rock, smoothly gliding alt-rock and capped with a full-on orchestral rock rave up climax, the diversity and adeptness of HNIA’s vision is staggering. Not a single weak track mars this seminal album. The only threat to XMMER’s unquestionable brilliance is a tendency to rely on similar melodic intervals in the vocal lines but being as they always sound fabulous, it’s hardly a criticism.