Holy Sons - The Fact Facer (2014)

Holy Sons is Emil Amos, a musician whose chameleonic tendencies and technical versatility has lead to him becoming an in demand multi-instrumentalist as a founding member of Grails and Lilacs & Champagne, as well as a member of Om and a hired gun for Jandek, to name a few. Holy Sons is at the center of his many musical personalities and is his longest standing project, acting as an outlet for some of his most personal and direct songs. In Holy Sons, Amos puts his restless imagination to work using a variety of inventive home recording methods to turn melodic slow-burners into multi-layered, atmospheric missives. While his methods and prolificacy provide a kinship with Sebadoh, Ariel Pink and other musicians who have offered countless transmissions from their bedroom floor, Holy Sons comes from the mind of someone who has internalized the minutia of 70s rock music and eschews the stereotypical lo-fi sound for a much deeper and more varied palate. Fact Facer, his Thrill Jockey debut, bathes Amos thoughtful, and even at times philosophical, songs in technicolor darkness, and reinforces Holy Sons as his musical centerpiece.

The songs on Fact Facer creep up on the listener, their fiercely addictive melodies unraveling slowly and purposefully. Jumping smoothly between many facets of Amos songwriting, the album does much to establish him as a talented multi-instrumentalist. From the lysergic leads of Selfish Thoughts to the Danny Kirwan referencing solos of Transparent Powers and the skillful acoustic flourishes of The Fact Facer, Amos proves himself as adept and creative a guitarist as he is a drummer. It is telling that Amos has built up two Holy Sons bands simultaneously: one based in Portland and one based in New York. Wherever the wind takes him, there are musicians willing to pick up their instruments and follow his lead.

Amos currently resides in Brooklyn, where he recorded the majority of Fact Facer. He plans to tour throughout the fall, solo and with one of his two backing bands.