by Ilya Sitnikov (@Iheartnoise)
Giant, the second LP from Philly trio Amanda X, comes off as the result of careful note-taking on 90s post-punk/alt-rock. Neither particularly aggressive/fast nor overwhelmingly noisy (though noisy licks do pop up here and there as heard in the opener "Exquisite"), the record weaves myriad of influences into its sonic fabric - from Veruca Salt to Team Dresch to Sleater-Kinney.
What saves the band from being mere copycats of the 90s alt-rockers is a clever use of dynamics/atmospheric bits. Its the slowest songs on rock and roll records that often tend to drag and the band clearly knows when to switch tempo or throw in a beautiful dual harmony.
It also helps that production is about as strong as the songs themselves. The production, ultimately, feels like the icing on the cake - Giant is a punchy rock 'n' roll record with songs that will play your head long after its over.