Two EPs. One old. One
new. Both amazing.
Marlene – Indian Summer
I missed this. I’m
sorry for that.
‘Indian Summer’ was originally released back in May and,
like the title suggests, would’ve made the perfect icy soundtrack to a hot
summer. Instead, I’ll be listening over
the frosty weeks to come.
Each of the five tracks reflects differing styles that have
all been popular over the past year. The
title track is perhaps the weakest, though it remains a solid Swedish pop track
with a catchy “aay aah” hook that Katy Perry would be proud of. Bon Voyage
is catchier still, its subdued, womping synths making way for an earworm of
a chorus with instant appeal. I Do This For You is a more sombre
track, all throbbing, moody synths and clattering drums that build into an
almighty chorus that brings to mind plenty of other songs – but in a really
good way (this and this in particular). With
Stay Awake, Marlene heads down more of
an R&B path with its sparse beats, but its glorious piano melodies and syncopated sunny synth chords remain uplifting. Finally, it ends on a laidback note with Lavender Fields, all shimmering piano
arpeggios and evocative dance production.
However, the EP remains the work of one artist above all –
not least for Marlene’s prominent vocals, but for the thick layer of cool
Scandi polish. There may be plenty of similar
electro-leaning female artists coming out of Sweden these days, but Marlene
really does stand ahead of the pack, even six months late…
4/5
Listen: ‘Indian Summer’ is available now
Kleerup – As If We Never Won
Where Marlene takes on disparate styles, with his latest EP
Swedish producer Kleerup has established a strong core sound that’s a step on
from his own solo material and his most famous work with Robyn.
‘As If We Never Won’ is indebted to the 80s. That’s clear immediately from the pounding
beat and pulsing synths of Sad Boys,
its syncopated hook slowly layering up with strings and guitars. As the title suggests, it’s a dance track
with a melancholic streak and a widescreen sound that only widens with
following track Let Me In. Beginning with a sliding guitar, its regular
marching beat has a distinct reminiscence of Frankie Goes To Hollywood,
coloured with kaleidoscopic synths and a dreamy vocal from Susanne Sundfør. It’s the high point of the album, followed by
the similar Nothing Left To Die For with
Jenny Wilson that slows the pace a touch but with a familiar throb.
The mood changes
from here on with Rock U featuring
Niki & The Dove. The sound remains
firmly in the 80s, but the focus changes to heavily reverbed guitars for a
sound closer to modern 80s throwbacks like Twin Shadow and M83 (as well as Niki
& The Dove themselves). As If We Never Won features vocals from
Maja Ivarsson and takes on a sombre air with a whirring electro solo that wouldn’t sound out of place on the Drive soundtrack – but with an added
quality of Swedish cool. Ending with the
acoustic track Thank God For Sending
Demons feels a little out of place by comparison, though it’s a pleasant
enough listen.
Mining the 80s
once more for inspiration may seem tired, but Kleerup’s EP is just so slickly
produced that you can’t help but fall in love with the sounds all over
again. Bring Robyn back on board and
that’s just magic waiting to happen.
4/5
Listen: ‘As If We
Never Won’ is available now.
