Review of AM & Shawn Lee’s Celestial Electric on ESL Music

It started in a car. Or in someone’s living room. Or a deli. Somewhere with a radio. Singer/songwriter AM just happened to hear tracks from musician Shawn Lee’s “Music and Rhythm” album on the radio in LA, and in a move that we find very ballsy, reached out and contacted the London-based Lee about working together. After developing a rapport over their mutual love for the retro style, disco, soul, and bell-bottoms (probably), they decided to come together and create an album. Demonstrating that across-the-ocean pen-pal-ism isn’t just for 9 year olds, they created a sound that is perfect to listen to while picnicking out in a sun-kissed park with frolicking bunnies. 

As a musical collaboration, Celestial Electric almost beats all those times Trent Reznor was forced to work with himself (industrial metal reference in an electro-soul album review? Oh yes I did). We’re kidding, of course - we’d listen to Celestial Electric again and again before touching an NiN album. The way these two created the album is novel - Shawn Lee would produce a drum pattern, and send it to AM, who would add instruments and his soulful, falsetto voice. AM would then send it back to Shawn Lee, who would add synthesized tunes, reverbs, and all kinds of other modifications I won’t pretend to know anything about. 

I’ve played the end result of this collaboration enough to have my neighbors call the cops on me. Okay, not really - they clearly like the sound too. The mix of elements is addictive and masterfully juxtaposed - playful and mature, fast and slow, deep and smooth. Eclectic in its inspiration, the album draws from styles of music I’ve never even heard of - Brazilian tropicalia and Turkish psychodelia (some kind of baklava additive? We hope so) being among the incredible, broad array of styles demonstrated in this album.  

Breadth is important, but it’s pointless if the musicians can’t handle their talent. And these two demonstrate their talent exceptionally. Singer AM’s falsetto achieves perfect pitch in “Somebody Like You”, with his instrumental (and singing) talent coming to a high note in “City Boy”. Shawn Lee’s excellent drum work in “Callahan” and “The Signal” will keep you bopping your head continuously, while the end-of-the-line mods (synthesized tunes and the like) add the elements of electro-soul that make this album a great example of the genre. 

The album generally maintains a mid-tempo, upbeat style, meaning you won’t be moshing - or falling asleep - to it any time soon. These are lounge tunes, music that is almost-scientifically developed to put you at ease in and in a good state of mind. Drawing on the mutual appreciation of the collaborators, the album plays like a rich throwback to the 70s, with enough free-wheeling by AM and Shawn Lee to create a work of art that unites the past with the present.  

Looking to the future, we here at Groovebug hope to see more album covers with “AM & Shawn Lee” printed across the front. If you think Celestial Electric is your thing, than you definitely need to check out other artists under the ESL (Eighteenth Street Lounge) Music record label, founded by the acclaimed Thievery Corporation duo. For a one-stop shop to get all the latest on AM, Shawn Lee, and ESL Music, check out our featured content when you download Groovebug for the Ipad from the Apple App Store this Thursday!

by Aamir Habib