Dynamic, mysterious, dark, stormy, whispered and explosive, a truly striking, mercurial, rich sonic soundscape of the angular, beautiful and dissonant and thematic perceptions of reality distorted by the experimental rock band from Copenhagen. The approach of Mads Bertelsen (vocals/bass), Simon Hiemstra Christoffersen (guitar), and Anders Dahl Poulsen (drums), joined by Oscar Alstrup on saxophone, mixes wild, free improvisation with concept and the cerebral. From the the angular guitars and breathy mystery of Skin of Sea, all the way to the stop-start feedback and spoken voices of final track Eyes Closed, this is a band that offers something stylishly challenging and different. Say Something Now, for example, is created from an improvised session shaped by a custom UNO-based composition game using colour-coded and action-based logic of UNO cards to assign musical behaviours to each player. There are some parallels with Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies cards. Here though, the red card signifies “extreme” and chaotic; green is static and grounded - so the action cards may flip expectations or double a performer’s output. So a sense of structure combines with the random, and a sound theme and that lyrically explores the idea of waking up from a dream that feels vividly real. It is followed by the slow, waking, slightly punch-drunk This Will Be A Good Day, the short, surreal sounds of high sax squeals and glockenspiel on Asleep, and then a awakes in form of Mirror World, featuring the screaming voice of Victor Kaas, a disturbing, menacing, dark metal, explosive number of restless wooziness and “anything goes”, with themes of racing thoughts, anxiety, and the chaos of the mind. By now it becomes clear that this is an album of constant change and surprise. O of Life mixes repeated shouts with thunderous crashes and meaty riffs. Narrow Streets brings a surreal, ambient short passage into the acoustic beauty of 17 Hours. This gentler section continues with Thin Air, a synth and vocal interchange of I Am Here, before the closing tracks Hypnogogic State and Eyes Closed.
Variously disturbing, strange and exciting, overall this is an extraordinary piece of work, highly original with impressively committed, highly skilled musicianship. Poptones very much inhabit their own unique musical space. It takes time, but the more you immerse into it, the more thrilling it becomes. Out on Happy Metal Records.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Feel free to recommend more new songs and albums and comment below. You can also use the contact page, or find more on social media: Song Bar X, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running: