Heterogene certainly live up to their name (from the Greek heterogenes, meaning “different kind,� for all the etymology buffs out there) with the diversity of styles that they package together on their debut release. AM-PM is essentially a double album on one disc, with the two "sides" sounding like they could be products of completely different bands. AM tends toward electronica-influenced ambient rock, with obvious influences from Kraftwerk and Broken Social Scene. Even here, there is great diversity from song to song; on the first four tracks alone you will hear a spoken word manifesto executed entirely in German, a melancholy ballad performed to the soundtrack of a Chinese television, a pleasureless taste of breathy sex-rock, and a surprisingly radio-friendly rock song. The PM section is much more straightforward prog-rock, with long instrumental jam sections and an overall mellow feel (think Pink Floyd). One could easily condemn the band for being all over the place in terms of musical message, but it is difficult to be critical of an album that covers this much ground, as there is likely to be a little something for everyone tucked away in these twenty heterogeneous tracks.
Jack Bateman
