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| Track list: 1. In the Morning 2. Hard Believer 3. Sailor Song 4. Waltz for Richard 5. Heavy Storm 6. Ghost Town 7. Josefin 8. A Window Opens 9. Winter Is All Over You 10. I Met Up With the King 11. Wills of the River Running time: 38 minutes Released: 2010 |
I cannot remember where I first heard about First Aid Kit, but something around the promotion of The Lion's Roar caught my interest and I picked that album up and liked it a lot. The two voices mesh nicely, the sounds supporting them are generally interesting. So eventually I picked up this earlier release too and whilst none of the tracks listed instinctively bring recollection I am hoping this will be a good one.
We start with a typical strummed guitar and then the vocal harmony that typifies First Aid Kit joins in. It sounds nothing like my mind's eye stereotype of Swedish folk. There is a yearning there that conjures images of big sky America more than trees and lakes. It also reverbs enough that my little speaker can't cope and I have to dial down the volume a lot - I didn't even have it that loud, it just seems to be the result of the two sisters (I think?) combining.
Hah - I find myself making the same mistake I have castigated others for in the past, and not for the first time. Perils of real time stream of thought typing I guess; some small amount of post-listen editing goes into these but not an awful lot. Hard Believer is a more melodic song, still playing on the harmonies - it will be a theme, since it is what sets this pair apart - and slower, more sombre, and still redolent of country in many ways (says I with no knowledge of real country music).
Musically there is nothing boundary-shoving here but the stylised vocals, accents and harmony really make First Aid Kit unique. Fast or slow, melancholy or bright, simple or more complex it all comes back to the singing. Some of their tunes are quite catchy but put less compelling vocals over them and they would be nothing of real interest, just diversionary. With the singing voices the two young women apply, however... much better. They must be aware that it is their selling point, because the compositions in places are so thin as to not exist, and often there is nothing more than a lightly played guitar to back them up. I don't think I have ever heard a harmony like it, there is compliment but also clash - the latter in a controlled way that enhances, rather than as a detraction. It almost sounds like one or other of them are out of tune deliberately, as they sing in different ranges and stress slightly different syllables. It is mesmerising and enchanting.
Ghost Town introduces some form of organ or accordion to give a mournful edge, and the first verse is sung solo. It sounds lonely after five tracks of paired delivery. Even here though the vocal strengths and interest the pair generate is strong. There is a fragility, a wavering quality to the intonation that enraptures my ear and draws me along with the sad story eve whilst not really processing the words. I think I have mentioned before on these pages that absorbing lyrics whilst typing my own letters is nigh on impossible dual processing for my brain and I miss a lot. I have the same problem if trying to read whilst listening to podcasts, and it's a really annoying deficiency for life in the modern world.
I am somewhat glad that the next track is more upbeat, the vocal much more positive and warm, the backing simple but bright and spangly. Its a simplicity, and repetition that is wearying and in other contexts I would be decrying Josefin for its staidness. Were it not for harmony, harmony that this time has additional support beyond just the pair of stars. That missing lyrics thing? I get the impression it is a big deal here, but maybe I am inferring profoundness where none exists as a direct result of the gravity and weight that the vocal has on all of these pieces.
In truth, I think perhaps the full album gets a bit much, too reliant on the same trick. However good a trick that may be, over-reliance on a single point can get stale. I don't recall The Lion's Roar having the same problem, so maybe this is a reflection of a debut - there is less craft in the music, less variation and therefore more similarity between songs. I don't want to undersell this though, just because my ear is craving something else - the quality is present throughout and any one of these tracks would brighten up a shuffle.
As I say that, I run into the first one that isn't stellar. Winter is All Over You just lacks whatever it is that makes them magic, particularly as it draws to a close. It seems churlish to complain when the spark soon returns and when there is such an obvious gift here. I would seriously recommend this to anyone who adores interesting vocals.
Just like that I arrive at the end, Wills of the River. This has been a short one, short and sweet for the most part. It is a pity that there isn't more interest in the composition, but that said the tone, pace and content is varied so even if they are a little over-playing a very simple accompaniment there is at least some form of differetiation from track to track. Having said that, adding too much without forethought could seriously detract from their greatest strength. I guess they walk a fine line and if so, then it is hardly a surprise that they step the "wrong" side of that in places. Overall though? I like this a lot. I would like it more broken up with something meatier, but I think this album might have come a little early for that.
We start with a typical strummed guitar and then the vocal harmony that typifies First Aid Kit joins in. It sounds nothing like my mind's eye stereotype of Swedish folk. There is a yearning there that conjures images of big sky America more than trees and lakes. It also reverbs enough that my little speaker can't cope and I have to dial down the volume a lot - I didn't even have it that loud, it just seems to be the result of the two sisters (I think?) combining.
Hah - I find myself making the same mistake I have castigated others for in the past, and not for the first time. Perils of real time stream of thought typing I guess; some small amount of post-listen editing goes into these but not an awful lot. Hard Believer is a more melodic song, still playing on the harmonies - it will be a theme, since it is what sets this pair apart - and slower, more sombre, and still redolent of country in many ways (says I with no knowledge of real country music).
Musically there is nothing boundary-shoving here but the stylised vocals, accents and harmony really make First Aid Kit unique. Fast or slow, melancholy or bright, simple or more complex it all comes back to the singing. Some of their tunes are quite catchy but put less compelling vocals over them and they would be nothing of real interest, just diversionary. With the singing voices the two young women apply, however... much better. They must be aware that it is their selling point, because the compositions in places are so thin as to not exist, and often there is nothing more than a lightly played guitar to back them up. I don't think I have ever heard a harmony like it, there is compliment but also clash - the latter in a controlled way that enhances, rather than as a detraction. It almost sounds like one or other of them are out of tune deliberately, as they sing in different ranges and stress slightly different syllables. It is mesmerising and enchanting.
Ghost Town introduces some form of organ or accordion to give a mournful edge, and the first verse is sung solo. It sounds lonely after five tracks of paired delivery. Even here though the vocal strengths and interest the pair generate is strong. There is a fragility, a wavering quality to the intonation that enraptures my ear and draws me along with the sad story eve whilst not really processing the words. I think I have mentioned before on these pages that absorbing lyrics whilst typing my own letters is nigh on impossible dual processing for my brain and I miss a lot. I have the same problem if trying to read whilst listening to podcasts, and it's a really annoying deficiency for life in the modern world.
I am somewhat glad that the next track is more upbeat, the vocal much more positive and warm, the backing simple but bright and spangly. Its a simplicity, and repetition that is wearying and in other contexts I would be decrying Josefin for its staidness. Were it not for harmony, harmony that this time has additional support beyond just the pair of stars. That missing lyrics thing? I get the impression it is a big deal here, but maybe I am inferring profoundness where none exists as a direct result of the gravity and weight that the vocal has on all of these pieces.
In truth, I think perhaps the full album gets a bit much, too reliant on the same trick. However good a trick that may be, over-reliance on a single point can get stale. I don't recall The Lion's Roar having the same problem, so maybe this is a reflection of a debut - there is less craft in the music, less variation and therefore more similarity between songs. I don't want to undersell this though, just because my ear is craving something else - the quality is present throughout and any one of these tracks would brighten up a shuffle.
As I say that, I run into the first one that isn't stellar. Winter is All Over You just lacks whatever it is that makes them magic, particularly as it draws to a close. It seems churlish to complain when the spark soon returns and when there is such an obvious gift here. I would seriously recommend this to anyone who adores interesting vocals.
Just like that I arrive at the end, Wills of the River. This has been a short one, short and sweet for the most part. It is a pity that there isn't more interest in the composition, but that said the tone, pace and content is varied so even if they are a little over-playing a very simple accompaniment there is at least some form of differetiation from track to track. Having said that, adding too much without forethought could seriously detract from their greatest strength. I guess they walk a fine line and if so, then it is hardly a surprise that they step the "wrong" side of that in places. Overall though? I like this a lot. I would like it more broken up with something meatier, but I think this album might have come a little early for that.
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