-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Ambient * Ethereal *
Artist..: Broken Twin
Album...: May
GENRE....: Indie
STYLE....: Alternative, Folk, Singer/Songwriter
LABEL....: Anti SCENE.....: 2014-12-21
BITRATE..: 199 kbps avg STORE.....: 2014-04-28
ENCODER..: LAME 32bits version TRACKS....: 10
SIZE.....: 61.27MB SOURCE....: CD
URL..: http://brokentwin.com/
- TRACKLIST
1 The Aching 3:57
2 Glimpse Of A Time 3:35
3 Roam 4:31
4 Sun Has Gone 3:28
5 River Raining 3:24
6 Soon After This 4:30
7 Out Of Air 4:08
8 In Dreams 5:12
9 If Pilots Go To Heaven 3:59
10 No Darkness 5:59
Total Playtime.: 42:43
Had you asked what caused my eyes to fleetingly well, I would have blamed
allergies; dust from a city closing down for the week. But in truth, it was a
reaction to a first listen to Broken Twin's 'Glimpse Of A Time'. Danish
songstress Majke Voss Romme's crystalline vocals overwhelmed my headphones as
I waited on a bustling train station concourse; love's fragile, transient and
unfairly balanced nature drawn into sharp focus with a simple melody and the
line "What was I but a glimpse of a time?/In your life...In your life". Like
I said... probably allergies.
If you've already heard Broken Twin, then you'll know the effect her work can
have on the senses. But with a spate of prodigious Northern Europeans intent
on invading our ears in 2014, it could be quite easy to overlook her as just
one more in an increasing line of austere Scandinavians. And while it's true
that much of her debut does gaze unflinchingly toward an infinite darkness,
what makes her stand out from the crowd is the ability to imbue the most
claustrophobic of tracks with a distant optimism. It's a gift that sees
self-produced debut May occupy a delicate hinterland between monochrome
sadness and mercurial hope, making it one of the most exquisite and haunting
albums you'll hear all year.
Just how many of these 10 laments come from Voss Romme's own experience is
unclear, but much of their charm lies in the sense that they're at once
deeply personal, yet entirely relatable, true meanings obfuscated enough to
leave you unsure as to their honesty. The plaintive lament 'If Pilots Go To
Heaven' has the line "I come across the border to be where you are/I almost
regret that I've come this far" which could signify the reuniting of old
flames or equally represent a journey to the brink of existence. 'No
Darkness' with it's allusions to better times ahead - "There will be no
darkness/There will be no darkness/I will fill your space with light" - could
be about the slow dawn of a new summer as much as a final reassurance before
turning off life support; such is Voss Romme's grasp of the tender line
between life, death, hope and sorrow.
If that sounds despairing and morose - and it's no laugh riot - what saves it
from the blackest depths are Voss Romme's vocals. May's biggest revelation,
they hold great vulnerability and a subtle power that has the capacity to
startle. Her voice reaches the almost perfect balance between an admission of
defeat and a yearning for something other on 'Sun Has Gone', the lyric; "I
long for more than I can give/I find it hard to simply live" feels utterly
heartfelt and imperfectly human.
'Out Of Air' - ostensibly about saying goodbye to a lover - is an exercise in
tone and control. Voss Romme's radiant vocals are the lone guide, traversing
a landscape of shifting emotions; from initial wounded defiance ("I refuse, I
refuse to take the pain") to memories of better times ("I recall a little
light in your eyes") and finally to a shattering realisation ("It's not
over") - all within a few quavering breaths. Of course, these excerpts may
read simply - such is Voss Romme's straightforward approach to songwriting -
but it's the vast and believable feelings which, drawn from little but the
lilting realisations and expectancy in her voice, that makes this a masterly
performance.
Minimalist in much of its arrangement, with a distinctly lo-fi feel, May's
melodies, are for the most part are constructed with little more than a stark
combination of piano, strings and percussion. Mixed by Ian Caple - whose work
with Tricky, Tindersticks and Kate Bush proves he knows more than a thing or
two about foreboding atmospherics - renders tracks such as opener 'The
Aching' with an almost lunar quality; gently plucked acoustics fluctuating
across a chilling vacuum of strings. And where a less confident artist might
have overworked the sound, here the choices support but never compensate for
Voss Romme's vocals; matching without complicating.
Of course, it's the inventiveness in this simplicity which yields some of the
album's most interesting moments. 'River Raining' using similar compositional
ticks to 'The Aching' - hums with a gentle folksy guitar, which slowly warps
and pitches to eerie effect, as though magnetised by Voss Romme's vocal
intonations. 'Roam' and 'In Dreams' share an ominous subtlety; the former
using intense waves of percussion, the latter urgent strings, both washing
over an unwavering piano like storm clouds rolling in across the coast.
Never attempting to make any excuses for its lachrymosity, May embraces the
darkness and finds slithers of light shattered within. And while it might be
haunted by a black dog, in Broken Twin's company, it's one that you too will
want to walk alongside.
-=- SHGZ -=-
P.S.
*** Thanks ***
*** BCC FNT IPC SSR ***
*** For Knowing Where The Music Is At ***
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* NuHS we miss you! *
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