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────┤ Info ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
└────────┘
Artist | Azure Blue
Title | Beneath The Hill I Smell The Sea
Genre | Indie Format | Album
Source | Vinyl Time | 33:08
Label | Fika/Hybris Store | 2015
Catalog | FIKA042/HYBR146 Rip | 2015
Bitrate | 246 kbps Size | 61.66 MB
Freq | 48.0 kHz Encoder | Lame 3.98.4
┌────────┐
────┤ Tracks ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
└────────┘
A1. A Town Like Alice 3:38
A2. Every Ending Story 3:57
A3. Reflections Of Light 2:47
A4. There Was A Time 3:34
A5. Beneath The Hill 4:06
B1. Tragedy And Changes 4:39
B2. Baby You Are A Star 3:57
B3. Atlasmuren 1:22
B4. Justice 3:52
B5. Sommerlied 1:16
┌────────┐
────┤ Notes ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
└────────┘
Having already staked a claim in the mid-2000s as one of Sweden's most
prolific and talented indie pop musicians from his time in the folk-pop
group Laurel Music and fronting the happy-go-lucky collective Irene, Tobias
Isaksson returned in 2011 with the solo project Azure Blue. Combining the
smooth synth pop of the '80s with the sophistication of Bryan Ferry's solo
work and the lyrical eye for detail of Robert Forster and Grant McLennan
(of the Go-Betweens), Azure Blue's debut album, "Rule Of Thirds", was
released in late 2001 on the Hybris label in Sweden and Matinee in the U.S.
The record caught on with reviewers and fans alike, leading to a Swedish
Independent Grammy Award for Best Album. He returned two years later with
the even more refined "Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt", with the
same two labels, plus Fika in the U.K., footing the bill. The album was a
critical success and was nominated for a 2013 Gaffa Award for Best Swedish
Album, while Isaksson was also nominated for Best Swedish Solo Artist. His
next move was to do some remixes, while also starting another project, Nite
Flights. Delving into some serious space disco, he released two EPs ('Nite
Flights' and 'Solar') in 2014. Late that year he opened a recording studio,
formed a disco duo with Peter Bjorn and John's Peter Moren called Personal
Trainers, and got back to making Azure Blue records. The first was the
"Every Ending Story" EP, which surfaced in May of 2015, then the third
Azure Blue album followed. Released by Hybris and Fika, "Beneath The Hill I
Smell The Sea" served as the final entry in a planned trilogy and featured
seven guest vocalists, including Amanda Mair, the Caesars' Cesar Vidal, and
Per Magnusson of Sportsman.
Azure Blue's third album, "Beneath The Hill I Smell The Sea", is
fundamentally very similar to their last one, 2013's "Beyond The Dreams
There's Infinite Doubt", but with a few big differences. The key elements
of the sound Tobias Isaksson crafts here is the same, namely smooth and
silky synth-driven pop that's mostly sad but sung with a light touch. Sort
of New Order-y, very Swedish. What's added this time out gives the album a
boost above the already good-to-very-good rating Azure Blue had achieved.
Isaksson rounded up a whole bunch of people to sing with him, including
Cesar Vidal of the Caesars, Swedish chanteuse Amanda Mair, Charly A, Per
Magnusson of Sportsman, and Erik Lindestad of the Land Below. This gives
the record a more varied feel and each singer adds something special.
Mair's duet with Isaksson on the album-opening "A Town Like Alice" is truly
heartwarming, Lindestad and Vidal's harmonizing on "Tragedy And Changes" is
really nice, and Charley A's soulful tones on "There Was A Time" provide a
nice contrast to the icy lead vocals.
Isaksson himself sounds great, too, delivering his lines with just the
right mix of detachment and heartache. The other change is the addition of
guitars throughout the record, which gives it a warmer and less
machine-operated feel. They stay in the background for the most part,
filling out the sound and occasionally jumping to the front to take over
the proceedings, most notably with some screaming solos on "A Town Like
Alice." It's a switch that might anger synth pop purists, but it was a move
that makes the sound even richer than it was before. More singers and more
guitars will only take a project so far without a strong batch of songs,
and Isaksson didn't forget those. While nothing stands out as a hit single,
the entire album is made up of songs that have softly sticky hooks, real
emotions, and melodies that are both soothing and a little heart-wrenching
at times. Again, very Swedish. Isaksson has been at the pop thing for a
long time, and records like this show he's working at the top of his game.
Anyone looking for sophisticated pop with plenty of thawed-out hearts will
discover that "Beneath The Hill I Smell The Sea" is a fine choice.
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└────────┘