It seems that the community of musicians combining elements of electronic abstractions with pop and folk is a never ending one these days. Some are a lot more successful than others at making a unique sound in the struggle to stand out amongst the pack. Bands such as Tuung, The Books, and production heavyweights such as Jim O’Rourke and John McEntire are examples of artists who have successfully managed to turn something seemingly simple into an incredibly complex and rewarding listening experience, whilst avoiding the pitfalls of sounding too immediate and urgent.
It mustn’ be easy to combine the traditional elements of a pop song (melodies, lyrical content, instrumentation etc) and put it through the blender to make it all your own.
Patrick Torsson is Swedish, and like fellow musical Swedes, Nicolai Dunger and Andre Hermann Dune, he displays a fragility and warmth that seems to be a common denominator within the Swenska sound experience. These are not big, swelling tunes that demand to be noticed. They are personal, multi layered tunes reminiscent of balladry, longing and observation. Staccato electronics layed under a simple drum pattern with acoustic and reverbed guitars. Back masking, muted keys, harps, low-key production values, and a wavering vocal all encompass the music that Torsson has made on this album.
For the listener, Torsson’s vocals and lyrics appear as almost a secondary focus, considered yet another layer in this rich (albeit lo-fi) recording. The album does progress in a subliminal manner, and by track 7, “The Void Within Youâ€, you realise that he has introduced sections that are reminiscent of old-school house rhythms and turned the album into something new altogether. His vocal will be unfairly compared to that of Thom Yorke, but it is really more akin to the aforementioned Swedes, Dunger and Dune. A rewarding listen for fans of this style of modern pop. This is a Japanese import only at the moment.
