When you're a fledgling rock band and you get invited to contribute the
live accompaniment to a screening of the classic silent horror film
Nosferatu, what exactly should you infer from that? In this case, it
probably wasn't meant as a reflection of the band's instrumental sound
(somewhat dark and sometimes eerie, but hardly evil) or its vocal style
(Petronella Nettermalm sounds enough like
Björk
to drive thoughts of vampirism far from all but the most twisted
minds), but maybe as an acknowledgment of its ability to create lush
soundscapes that can be put to a variety of uses. On what appears to be
their debut album,
Paatos
explores a strange musical territory somewhere in the borderlands
between prog rock, Scandinavian folk-rock, and sort of post-metal
experimentalism. Keyboardist Johan Wallen provides lots of vintage
Fender Rhodes and Mellotron sounds for the old-schoolers in the
audience, but the production by
Steven Wilson (of
Porcupine Tree)
keeps the overall sound fresh and modern, both spacious and dark.
Highlight tracks include the complex and beautiful "Look at Us" and the
vaguely trip-hoppy "Absinthe Minded" (har har). Recommended
aCá
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