Friday Bridge
Intricacy
But Is It Art?
"Manners and Mannerisms" is the subtitle of Friday Bridge's myspace page and indeed, a lot of conceptualism and personal aesthetics define her debut album "Intricacy". Singing in French and English, Ylva Lindberg's soprano hovers over 80's synth strings and drums while harpsichords and flutes dance minuets in the background. The Swedish press finds that "incredibly elegant" (P3Pop), but to me, the record lacks overall substance. A few standout tracks prove Ylva's talent for writing very catchy pop songs (current single "Love and nostalgia", or the older "It girl" for example) while others really showcase the potential of doing baroque arrangements of modern pop. Still, it's not that she's not clever (she rhymes give away with Jean Genet) or that I don't enjoy music that focuses foremost on similar 80's-esque aesthetics (such as The Embassy or Nicolas Makelberge). I just feel that, minus the standard-issue synth pop songs, this album would have been a great collection of cleverly-arranged catchy and timeless pop.
- Arnulf Köhncke
