Fredrik
Na na ni
Jezebel Recordings
Fredrik wants us to believe many things: First, that he's actually a six-piece band. Second, that he unifies such far-reaching influences as Fairport Convention, Steve Reich and Barbara Morgenstern. And finally, that he likes to tell dark fairy tales that make you feel as though you're a ten-year-old lost in a threatening forest. Personally, I tend to go with him on the six-piece band thing (which includes members of Scraps of Tape, Vit Päls and The LK), and I can definitely make out large influences of experimental folk as well as of more recent folktronica -- think guitar and dulcimer plus the occasional analogue static, loops and geegaw percussion. All the while, the darkness of the lyrics is actually nicely contrasted with the extroverted, complex playfulness of the music: It's amazing to hear Fredrik combine all of his influences into such a coherent record where electronica gives way to straight singer-songwriterism that's instantly merged with post-psychedelia. Still, this album is clearly not about browbeating the listener with excessive namedropping or clever genre-bending, but about captivating melodies and even straight-out pop. Maybe that forest just isn't so threatening after all and it'd be worthwile to linger a little longer.
- Arnulf Köhncke
