Superb
Danish post-rock avant-garde four piece Svin blew me away with their album Heimat when I reviewed it back in 2011; mournful Horn, jazz drumming and post-rock builds made for a unique experience which was rounded out well by some fantastic melodies. This new four track EP, the oddly titled Secretly We Are Gay, is a worthy follow up to that record. The off kilter atmospherics remain - moments of real skin tingling beauty mix with heavy duty metal riffage at times; take the transition from the melancholic and soulful end of Fasanens Dod to the solid down-tuned guitars and difficult rhythms at start of Glatnakke for instance.
I recall that Heimat impressed me with an organic quality, one that many jazz based records seem to have due to their free flowing structures - that also remains here, you hear it in the squeals of brass at the end of Glatnakke with seemingly random blasts of noise and pained squeals from the guitar in the background; Svin remain playful and direct with every tune searing its way into your musical memory, but, they also render more subtle moments with an exquisitely delicate touch.
From the opener How Deep Is Your Love with its fantastic wind/brass melody and incredible wall of guitar and drums to the dream-like closing moments of Froken Frank Svin don't put a foot wrong, again. An absolute pleasure to listen to - just brilliant.