Label: Glitterhouse
Viewing posts
1-3 out of
3
Both Kevin and Avi are all over this album, and to be completely honest: they are right to be. Lampshade create some beautiful music with intelligent arrangement and memorable melodies. Singer RebekkaMaria Andersson does, as Kevin mentioned, have a similar tone to Björk, but she is much more natural and fluid, albeit less powerful, than the Icelandic goddess. This is lovely pop and clever songwriting all combined with a taste for melancholy that is very pleasing. But, for some reason, I just can't get into it. It all seems a bit stiff and deliberate. I just can't seem to put the finger on why I feel like that because I should like this. In the words of the legendary George Costanza: "It's not you, it's me."
- Simon Thibaudeau
This record is so fragile it makes you want to walk around on tiptoes while listening to it, lest you disturb the mood. And that mood is Nordic--not the sunny daydream of Århus or Stockholm in July, but the frigid calm of Norway (or Iceland, or Finnish Lapland) in the dead of winter. Everything revolves around Ola Fløttum, whose delicate guitar and piano parts blend into his lilting voice, which drifts in and out of falsetto. Bassist/keyboardist Ulf Rodge and percussionist H.C. Almendingen add elements impressive in their subtlety, because they blend in seamlessly. Tracks like "The white birds" and "June" are experimental, dreamy and seemingly in slow motion, which have made Sigur Rós comparisons come fast and furious (though, to be fair, the Oslo trio has been around longer). There are plenty of differences between the two, especially in Fløttum's use of English lyrics. Those expecting a fast song every now and then will be frustrated; "Come up for air" never breaks from its wintertime pace, which adds even more fragility and beauty to this impressive release.
- Matthew W. Smith
This Tromsø-based Norwegian band offers melodic epic rock reminiscent of bands like Radiohead, Coldplay and Muse. Guitarist/vocalist Rune Simonsen even sounds a bit like Thom Yorke in ballad mode at times. But this debut full-length (the band released an EP a few years ago) stands on its own quite nicely. If you can avoid thinking about all the stylistic touchstones, "A new order rising" is a very pleasant listen. "Landslide" is a sweet mid-tempo radio-friendly tune where Simonsen quickly shows his voice can soar with the best of 'em, while drummer Esko Pedersen and bassist Andreas Hoyer lay down a solid rhythmic foundation that's crisp and clear. "Have you ever" is actually one of the nicest slow songs I've heard this year, thanks to one of those stick-in-the-head melodies and a beautifully clear vocal (hey, a Norwegian Thom Yorke ain't such a bad thing, right?). Nice mellotron right in the middle, too. "River run by night" sounds like it's in a weird time signature, and it's so mesmerizing and carefully arranged that you imagine the band spending hours in the studio getting it just right. The cool percussion and lap steel guitar make it a standout track. The acoustic "Hymn" lets Simonsen show off his delicately beautiful falsetto, and if that's an autoharp being played behind it, bonus points for your good taste, guys! You're also gonna see a lot of reviews that single out the track "A long poem about the acts of heroes or gods." This nine-minute excursion into deep, Floyd-ian, guitar-based melancholy is the kind of big, expansive tune you can either lose yourself in, or shrug off 'cause it sounds like a bunch of other groups. I've opted for the former, and I've grown fond of this disc, even if it's a little monotonous in places.
- Kevin Renick