Nina Persson. ANIMAL HEART. Lojinx

This is Persson’s first trully solo release. “The most difficult and maybe also the best thing about going solo is probably all teh decisions you make alone. Somewhere inside, I have a very clear clock, a gut feeling, that says what I think. I have forced myself to just keep going and follow only my gut with this album. I have simply no time to dwell on things anymore which I did a lot of before,” says Persson. Her other band, The Cardigans, have not released an album since 2005. ANIMAL HEART was written and produced by Persson along with her husband film composer and novelist Nathan Larson (A Camp, Shudder To Think) and Eric D. Johnson (The Shins, Fruit Bats).

The title track and first single opens the album with distant soaring guitar and piano notes. It posseses decent lyrics and a passable melody but it’s one of the weakest songs on the album. The next track ‘Burning Bridges For Fuel’ ups the stakes substantially with some quality vocal touches and a more serious, darker vibe. In addition the melody is much stronger and I’m surprised that this was not selected as the first single; it’s more distinctive and far more interesting. ‘Dreaming Of Houses’ is next and follows a similar slightly less distinctive and memorable route. That said, it’s a hook-rich song that also could fare well as a single. Persson has a pleasant, young voice capable of hitting very high notes which in this song are very effective in lifting the song to above average heights.

By song 5, ‘Jungle’ one is left in no doubt that this is a pop album which may well please her fans but it lacks the Scandinavian flare and originality that has become almost typical in recent years. ‘Jungle’ has a tangible dance beat but little else while ‘Food For The Beast’ is about breaking habits without any conviction or belief. ‘The Grand Destruction Game’ lifts the gloom somewhat with its rocky rhythmic edge and more interesting lyrics.

I’m not sure what Persson was trying to achieve with this solo album. It’s very middle-of-the-road with just a few interesting highlights including the final track ‘This Is Heavy Metal’. It’s very distinctive with arguably the strongest melody of all and instrumental arrangement featuring telling, heavy piano notes. Overall I expected more…

3/5

Asgeir. IN THE SILENCE. One Little Indian

The past year has seen Ásgeir’s major domestic popularity translate into filling 1,500 capacity venues (the original Dyrd í dauðathogn album having been released in the Nordic countries back in February). More recently that success has been reflected in the UK and across the rest of Europe where anticipation for the release of the English-language version, ‘In The Silence’ built steadily, culminating in major news media interest and features.

Born and raised in the tiny hamlet of Laugarbakki in the wilds of Iceland, Ásgeir comes from a large family of musicians. In 2012, at 20 years of age, the release of Dyrd í dauðathogn made him an overnight success in Iceland breaking all records to become Iceland’s fastest and biggest selling debut album by a home grown artist - outselling even (label mate) Björk and Sigur Rós’ debuts. One in ten of the Icelandic population now own the album.

This is the album that Nina Persson should listen before launching out on her next solo record. IN THE SILENCE is a beautiful, mature and genuinely distinctive record with Asgeir’s voice reminding me of the late, great Elliott Smith. The opening salvo, ‘Higher’ provides a stunning introduction with magical instrumental moments, a huge melody and the artist’s mesmerising high register vocal. This, as on several other tracks here, features a voice which is multi-layered electronically generating my need to see the man perform live to get an accurate reading of what seems to be a rather special voice. This should be the opening single off the album…

‘In The Silence’ follows with more stunning drum passages, driving rhythm and another storming melody. Production by Gudmundur Kristinn Jonsson is beautifully judged with guitar and drum sounds sounding vivid and well separated. As a result this whole album is an audiophile feast. ‘Summer Guest’ is wonderfully reflective of warm summer nights under clear starlit skies. ‘King And Cross’ reveals some very clever and effective vocal muli-layering backed by Latin beats and underscored by yet another powerful melody. ‘Was There Nothing’ is a slow-moving acoustic beauty of a song that sounds a like a lullaby with gently swaying acoustic guitar notes dominating the instrumental backdrop. ‘Torrent’ opens with sparse keyboard notes which build to instrumentation on an epic scale with handclaps chiming in to great effect. It’s another single featuring huge rocky choruses and one can imagine this ringing out over the airwaves. Superb!

‘Going Home’ is one of the two singles already announced and while it’s a very pleasant song it lacks the distinction and drive demanded by radio. ‘In Harmony’ is highly original with its stuttered instrumental arrangment and clever changes of pace. ‘On That Day’ completes the record on an acoustic/electro high. This is a wonderful record that has already reserved its place in my best of 2014. yup, it’s that good.

4.5/5