Domino
Birds, 2017
8/10
The Swedish artist Cajsa Siik returns with a 3rd album here, where her atmospheric and pop friendly approach that isn’t afraid of avant-garde ideas sometimes parallels the greatness achieved by Kate Bush.
“White Noise” starts the listen with a very modern approach of electro-pop meets indie-rock as the mesmerizing landscape pushes and pulls with beauty and tension, and “Sad Celebration” follows with a soothing beat as Siik’s playful vocals suit the upbeat pop setting.
Halfway through, “Solar Still” trims the climate back to bare, where a dreamy quality invades the introspective tune, while “Empire Mine” enters melodic pop territory that glides with a very smooth delivery. “Frozen Tongue”, the album highlight, then moves slowly, with much grace amid the soft layers of sublime song craft.
At the end, “Minute Road” shimmers with a folksy quality in the flawless delivery, and “Shallow Light” exits the listen with warm keys alongside Siik’s expressive singing that is both wise and thoughtful.
A superbly textured affair, Siik’s songwriting shines in rich environments just as well as it does in sparse situations, and her artistic sensibilities add much to this very cautious and often moving effort.
Travels well with: Big Fox- See How The Light Falls; Fox Stevenson- Killjoy