Top 10s for 2005: Kevin Renick
By way of introduction, I have to say that my obsession with Scandinavian music really came of age in 2005. This roughly marks five years that I've been following the musical magic of the Nordic lands, and I feel incredibly privileged to have heard so much great stuff during that time (much of it unreleased in the U.S.). I could easily list 20 CDs that knocked me out this year, maybe even more. But I'm going to obey the rules and stick with 10. These are in alphabetical order by artist, as I feel no compelling need to rank them by degree of enthusiasm, since I love all of them. Special thanks to these artists for contributing to a truly memorable year of music for me!
01. Acid House Kings - Sing along with Acid House Kings (Twentyseven Records)
Beautiful melodies, warm and bracing male-female harmonies, and delicious, stirring arrangments helped make this platter one of the most satisfying pure pop confections of the year.
02. AK-Momo - Return to New York (Hidden Agenda)
Some reviewers said this disc was too twee, but the combination of Anna k von Malmborg's edgy, little-girl-contemplating vocals and Mattias Olsson's masterful manipulation of the optigan, mellotron and other "trons" resulted in a truly unique sound. It's tart like sour candy, with a sweet aftertaste. There's serious emotional depth to this record, and "Boys & Girls" is one of the eeriest, most memorable songs to grace my stereo all year.
03. Bol - Silver sun (Curling Legs)
This Norwegian trio made one of the few records in 2005 that struck me as a genuine work of art. Led by the bewitching, pure-goddess voice of Tone Ase, Bol soared over the vast landscape of humanity commenting on life, love and loss in tunes of absolutely riveting emotional breadth, eliminating genre boundaries in a creatively willful manner (though "jazz-laced electro avant-pop" will work as a style summation). Incandescent brilliance.
04. Ephemera - Monolove (Ephemera Records)
It's love. Ephemera and me, we have a thing. And I don't care that the disc was released in Norway in late 2004; other countries didn't hear it until this year (and the U.S. is STILL waiting, save for those who follow the import scene). There is no better girl group in the world currently than Ephemera, and the combination of their absolutely crystalline vocal harmonies and dazzling arrangements/production is unbeatable. I would give this record my "Blue Diamond" award, which is the highest rating I can assign.
05. Anja Garbarek - Briefly shaking (EMI)
She's mysterious. She's reclusive. She has one of the best voices in Scandinavia. And she emerged after a long silence with little warning to release one of the most layered, passionate, entrancing discs of the year. Anja can be expansive and dramatic, or hushed and intimate, sometimes in the same song. "Briefly shaking" my eye...this disc is a sustained earthquake of thrilling musical vibrations.
06. Hanne Hukkelberg - Little things (The Leaf Label)
I think Hanne's superb record was the debut of the year. Boldly original in its use of unconventional instruments and innovative song constructions, Hanne's beautifully sweet, upfront vocals and palpable sense of wonder about the world gave a beguiling aura to this album. Romantic in the broadest sense of the word, and stunningly self-assured for a first album.
07. Logh - A Sunset Panorama (Hydrahead/Bad Taste)
THIS is the way to do moody guitar rock. Logh remain an underrated Swedish band, but I'll take their thoughtful, spacious soundscapes and intimate vocals over many of their higher-profile competitors any day. Sometimes they explode as if emotions have been kept in check just a bit too long, but overall this is melancholy, contemplative soundscaping at work.
08. Jomi Massage - From Where No One Belongs, I Will Sing (Morningside Records)
And from where no one else will notice, I will rave. This Danish gal is seriously eccentric, and her album carves a rough trail through a wilderness of raw emotions in a manner that's both lyrically minimal and emotionally complex. Not necessarily easy listening, but more dynamic and challenging with each listen.
09. Plain Fade - Lies, sanctions and cruise missiles (Punos Sound)
Finland gave us some fascinating records in 2005, and this offering by Plain Fade was certainly among the best. Moody as all get out, largely instrumental but with intriguing vocal parts here and there, this recording churns its way through some huge dark space, saying something on a nearly subconscious level about the apocalyptic angst of our times. Alternatingly abrasive and soothing, this work is genre-defying enough to almost warrant devising a new category. Intense, cathartic Finnish mood rock will do for now.
10. The State of Floral Beings - We know you love us and that's why we do this (Trewetha Records)
And we're SO glad you do, guys! I was a fan of the oddball, slightly unhinged synth-punk of this Swedish band from the moment I first played this record. There's something mysterious and a bit shadowy about the 16 tracks on this CD; it doesn't give up its secrets easily, which keeps you listening. Nor does it specifically sound like any other group. There are many classic tracks, but "Sleep spray" is unquestionably one of the finest Scandinavian rock songs of the year.
Honorable mentions: Ane Brun - A temporary dive; Sigur Rós - Takk
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Kevin Renick is a regular contributor to IAT.