Korallreven doesn’t sound like anybody else, but if I had to try, I’d say they’re like a lover’s caress on a sunny afternoon with just a little bit of Enya and a touch of Ace of Base. On their full-length debut An Album by Korallreven (out now on Acéphale), the Swedish duo’s unique sound incorporates ominous undertones with optimistic, uplifting soundscapes of epic proportions. Lead vocals are steady and robotic, flanked by choir-like backups. This is all filtered through (what I suspect are) keyboards, synthesizers, and more synthesizers. And I’m pretty sure I heard a rain stick in there somewhere. Opening track and first single “As Young as Yesterday” (featuring Victoria Bergsman of the Concretes and Taken by Trees) is a good representation of what’s in store, but if I had to sell you on the group with one song, “Comin’ Closer” would be it. Listen to it. If you feel like you’re roller-skating with pigtails and two fists full of cotton candy, then you’re hearing it right.
-Whitney Dwire
