A Mountain Of One

A Mountain of One became darlings of the neo-Balearic scene with their entrancing blend of slow-motion disco, soft rock, and psychedelia. The band's early, self-released EPs, compiled on 2007's Collected Works, fused various styles of cosmic rock and downtempo dance music, and their 2009 full-length debut, Institute of Joy, was a darker set that strayed from the group's disco influences. After a decade-long absence, A Mountain of One returned in 2021 with the sparkling single "Custards Last Stand" in advance of their second album. Centered around vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Zeben Jameson and keyboard player/programmer Mo Morris, A Mountain of One formed in London in 2005. Jameson had previously played on recordings by Pretenders, Travis, Dodgy, and others, and was in a short-lived group called Ghost, whose 2001 EP In the Wake of the Night was co-produced by Morris. Leo Elstob, a dance producer who had previously collaborated with Chicane and co-wrote his 1996 breakthrough hit "Offshore," was also a member of AMO, and other prominent contributors to the group's 2006 debut EP included Pablo Clements (Psychonauts, UNKLE) and vocalist Martina Topley-Bird (best known for her work with Tricky). EP 2 and the single "Brown Piano" (with a remix by Studio) appeared in 2007, followed by the Collected Works CD. Preceded by an EP of the same name, AMO's debut full-length, Institute of Joy, appeared in 2009. Going for more of a full-band approach, the album was more rock-oriented than their earlier releases, and included a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Who by Fire." A remix EP followed in 2010, but AMO fell silent for over a decade. Finally, in 2021, the duo of Morris (based in Bali) and Jameson (still in West London) resurfaced with the spacy synth pop single "Custards Last Stand," recorded virtually during the coronavirus pandemic. A set of dub versions by Dennis Bovell followed, and a full-length was announced, with Ricardo Villalobos responsible for mastering and remixing. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi