Swedish musician and singer Anna Jarvinen stews over the residues of her childhood on Jag Fick Feeling – from Vessa Matti Loiri’s interpretations of Eino Leino’s poetry, to Woody Allen movies, and images of a fading Finland. It’s a cracking set, with playing that stings and burns, and a mischievous tinkering that is occasionally elevated to the level of art.
These pieces of tribal shuffle and winsome energy are none too consistent, however. The first pair of tracks follow this line: a driving but messy mix of clattering rhythms and spontaneous noise, which tend to clip the wings of Jarvinen’s darling voice. Bright, tender, and heartfelt, a brashly ornate backdrop makes for an image too readily discernible as standard indie rock rubbish. The tautly controlled band pieces are more successful, where every gesture seems carved out of its essence. On “Leena”, for example, sliding string tones meet with breezy horns and processed cycles of ebb and flow. Throughout the recording, various combinations of spasmodic communal grooves and more mellow elements encourage a certain mutual competitiveness that piques the interest. Mind you, on occasion these combinations fail to gel into something accomplished or transcendental. Jag Fick Feeling is nevertheless a stylistically varied and largely worthwhile set.
Max Schaefer
