(This review first appeared in issue 59 of Shindig! magazine)
Partisan
CD / LP
The Swedish quintet's
fourth album sees them hone their brand of finely sculpted ambient
rock. The majestic glacial guitar chimes and fluid jazz-informed
drumming are intact, along with Christoffer Gunrup's melodic, icy
vocals which drift over the backing like mist over a fjord.
Scandinavian indie-noir indeed! But there's more – the skewed
breakbeat and eerie tumbleweed twang on 'Blair Drager', the breezy
indie-pop of 'Floating' and album closer 'Perfect Day For Shrimp'
which showcases their folksier acoustic side.
Imagine the band Nick
Drake would have formed if he'd gone electric and recruited The Edge
as second guitarist. The addition of understated keys, string swells
and hazy vocal harmonies further enhance but it's the softly sung,
often undecipherable vocals which allow listeners to create their own
associations, meanings and relationships with the songs. Sublime but
soaringly emotional, moody but magnificent. The perfect soundtrack
for late summer introspection.
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