You might not be familiar with the music of AM & Shawn Lee, but you’ve undoubtedly come across their solo efforts, perhaps without even realizing it. Both AM and Shawn Lee have made names for themselves through the soundtrack industry. AM’s pop songs have shown up on hit TV shows like Greys Anatomy and Friday Night Lights, while Lee has scored music for Ocean’s Thirteen, Lost, and CSI: Miami. After hearing one of his songs on the radio in Los Angeles, AM approached Lee in 2011, and a collaboration was born. With two decades’ worth of experience between the two of them, the pair struck an easy friendship.
Their 2011 debut, Celestial Electric, recalls ’70s and ’80s funk-rock, but it still seems somewhat ahead-of-its-time. As the pop charts fill up with that slick, dance-friendly sound (see: Daft Punk, Robin Thicke, et al), AM & Shawn Lee’s music is suddenly in vogue. Earlier this year, the duo dropped their second LP, La Musique Numerique, which expands on the space-funk vision that they created the first go-around. Their roots in the soundtrack scene pays off: the songs slink around the dance floor with ease and a hint of mystery, flush with synthesizers and a heavy low-end. But at heart, the two know how to craft a killer pop song. “All The Love” is one of those songs that demands a huge audience, thanks to that incessant groove. Even if it doesn’t burn up Billboard, chances are pretty high you’ll be hearing it in a soundtrack or two.
You can catch AM & Shawn Lee on Thursday, October 3 at Empire Control Room.
