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| Despite hailing from Sweden, Amandine have managed to successfully create a record that sounds like it hails from the heart of America’s folk scene. |
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And that is not meant in any way as a criticism. Solace In Sore Hands,the band’s second album, is a true accomplishment and easily up there with the best releases in this genre.
Feeling instantly timeless, it’s almost like an album I’m already familiar with — testament to its incredible accessibility and the ease with which the songs enter your subconscious and set up residence there.
This is none the more evident as on album-opener ‘Faintest of Sparks’. A jaunty banjo melody is coupled with thoughtful lyrics and a vocal delivery tinged with melancholy, stirring up comparisons with the understated-yet-powerful folk of Sufjan Stevens and Low.
As Solace In Sore Hands continues, Amadine throw more instruments into the mix, and yet never compromise their capability at writing effective, emotional folk rock in the slightest. The warmth of the brass section in ‘Silver Bells’ is a real contrast to the isolated and desolate tones of the lyrics, creating a wonderful bittersweet but hopeful feeling.
This contrast of despair and hope permeates the entire album, along with a dream-like quality of softness, beauty and gentle calm — mirroring the picturesque Swedish landscape we are so often presented with. From the sweet vocal harmonies of ‘Iron Wings’ to the almost REM-like piano-led ‘Better Soil’, the ways in which this album multi-facedly presents beautiful, harmonious song-writing is indeed impressive and all too rare.
If I were to put on my ‘harsh critic’ mask, I could complain that the album suffers a little from a lack of variation in pace, but that really seems irrelevant when put in context of the overall effect of the work.
What we are presented with is a work of amazing simple beauty and radiance that it’s impossible to hold any true misgivings for after even the first listen. Amandine have succeeded in creating an album that will appeal to anyone who can appreciate a strong melody and well-crafted harmony. A true achievement. |
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| James Haddrill - 9/10 |
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Name:
lyle
| Date:
09/06/07 | Reply
Really beautiful album !
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