- Swedes Johan Angergård and Henrik Mårtensson produce elegiac synthetic pop songs about loss, sadness, and (possibly) melting glaciers. Last year, they even released a one-off, 70-seconds long free Christmas single titled, "Artic Hymn," which pretty much encapsulated their entire manifesto. It might be an unimaginative cliché to associate "Scandinavia," "electronica" and "melancholia" by now, but confronted with Pallers' well-crafted and prismatic offerings, it's unavoidable. "Another Heaven," the album's introductory piece, sums up perfectly the Röyksøpp influence: An ambient runoff piece at first, then with murmured yet empathetic vocals, it finally reveals itself to be a self-restrained canticle with scaled down yet house-ish drum patterns.
This isn't to say Pallers are incapable of more upbeat and upfront numbers. A previous single such as the muscular "The Kiss" is obviously more indebted to Power, Corruption & Lies–era New Order's most pristine moments. Originally released in 2008, "Humdrum" is even better as it filters cold wave's proverbial restraint through a cascade of icy yet orchestral arrangements and palatial sentimentalism.
Sadly, tracks like "Years Ago, Days Pass" or "Wired"—even with their intricate array of digital ornaments—remain badly in need of a proper tune; album closer "Nights," on the other hand, simply comes across as an anemic piano-led ballad: clocking in at seven minutes, it easily outstays its welcome and ends the album on a lukewarm note. That said, you can't deny the Kleerup-like "Wicked" (with tender female vocals from a certain Elise Zalbo) doesn't offer the same kind of bittersweet pop music with a twist as fellow Scandinavian Robyn. A lazy comparison? Perhaps. But clearly the Swedes can't help it either.
Tracklist 01. Another Heaven
02. Humdrum
03. Come Rain, Come Sunshine
04. Tropical Fishbowl
05. Years Go, Days Pass
06. The Kiss
07. Sound Of Silence
08. Wired
09. Wicked
10. Nights