The White Birch
Come up for air
Racing Junior/Glitterhouse
This record is so fragile it makes you want to walk around on tiptoes while listening to it, lest you disturb the mood. And that mood is Nordic--not the sunny daydream of Århus or Stockholm in July, but the frigid calm of Norway (or Iceland, or Finnish Lapland) in the dead of winter. Everything revolves around Ola Fløttum, whose delicate guitar and piano parts blend into his lilting voice, which drifts in and out of falsetto. Bassist/keyboardist Ulf Rodge and percussionist H.C. Almendingen add elements impressive in their subtlety, because they blend in seamlessly. Tracks like "The white birds" and "June" are experimental, dreamy and seemingly in slow motion, which have made Sigur Rós comparisons come fast and furious (though, to be fair, the Oslo trio has been around longer). There are plenty of differences between the two, especially in Fløttum's use of English lyrics. Those expecting a fast song every now and then will be frustrated; "Come up for air" never breaks from its wintertime pace, which adds even more fragility and beauty to this impressive release.
- Matthew W. Smith