Husky Rescue
– The Long Lost Friend: Special Edition (Catskills Records)
CD/DL
Out Now
Alternative
electronic pop/folk ensemble re-release their 2013 album.
With opener
Restless Feet begins a quite delightful album.
Synth based, the project of Finland’s Marko Nyberg is a captivating and
addictive affair. With the addition of
composer Antony Bentley comes the sweet angelic voice of Johanna Kalen.
Kalen’s vocals
are often dreamy and gorgeous – think big fluffy clouds and candy floss. Often having similarities in tone and texture
to Norwegian Kate Havnevik with additional sprinklings of Bjork. Restless Feet
is layer upon layer of twinkling programming which complement the vocals
perfectly.
Originally
released in 2013, The Long Lost Friend now comes in a double cd package. Disc one contains the album together with the
additional Deep Forest Green EP. The
sound of Husky Rescue is interesting, sounds are light and easy to listen to
and the method of sometimes pairing sounds and melodies which don’t necessarily
match is intriguing to say the least.
The sound of
pop/folk is pleasing too – soft and easy listening, it is clinical but yet
flows with a natural ease. Second track
Under Friendly Fire is possibly one of the album highlights as the low-key
intro soon progresses into cavalcade of percussive sounds before fading out
with a (slightly too long) instrumental flutter.
Album high
point is June. Again a slow burner which
for the most part appears to be going nowhere until some rather dramatic bass
tones drag the track to life with a forced scream. Kalen is again wonderful. In many ways, it’s
a shame that June takes almost three minutes to get into gear.
Title track
The Long Lost Friend picks up a steady percussive beat, almost trip-hop in
style and is paired with some treated vocals prior to a more commercial
feel. It’s upbeat and a bit of an ear
worm, and has enough bounce in it for the most part. Album closer, the sugar sweet Tree House is
by far the most commercially accessible track on the album. The melody is constructed well and is again
almost annoying catchy and a lesson in how to write an addictive song. At over seven minutes long it isn’t tedious
or uneventful and provides a close to the main album which maybe gives weight
to the preceding seven tracks.
The
following five singles are again of the same vein with Deep Forest Green and its
hushed intros taking pride of place.
Unfortunately,
it is on the second disc that the album loses impetus. Husky Rescue’s most
recent work, Hypnopompic is without the voice of Kalen and contains often experimental
instrumentals which frequently lose direction.
The beauty of the voice is gone and the tracks become uneventful and
often seemingly without cause and meaning.
Even wonderfully entitled tracks Pistachio Tree and Robot Requiem fail
to cut the cloth and simply become noises and sounds thrown together in the
hope that something marvellous is made.
Sadly it isn’t and the dulcet tones of Kalen are a huge loss as tracks
like the near nine minute Sunrise In The Mist are close to boring.
7.5/10
Links
Catskills Records
Husky Rescue website
Husky Rescue on Twitter
Husky Rescue on Facebook
Published on Louder Than War 13/05/15 - here
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