Gentle folk from Sweden with haunting vocals
As you might expect from the small Danish label “Rumraket”; run by the group Efterklang, Taxi Taxi!’s new EP is very, very pretty. Comprised of two twin teenagers from Stockholm, they’ve clearly discovered how well they meet musically and have crafted a little gem that sounds similar to some of the great lo-fi records currently coming from labels like Morr Music.
This is bedroom music in every way – written that way, and seemingly best listened to from the comfort of your bed, watching the morning sun seeping through curtains. Which is not to say that it can’t come into the world with you, but melodies and sounds this soft and subtle seem best suited for quite concentration: take it on the train, but have some good headphones!
Soft, gentle and folk-inspired, Taxi Taxi! craft small, beautiful, and almost fragile-sounding melodies as a bed for the real standout of this EP: the two ethereal voices. Listening to this record, I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been like when these two sisters sang together for the first time: they must’ve turned to one another, smiling and realizing they were on to something.
When singing individually it’s no less enthralling, but when these two voices come together a chill seems destined for any listener’s spine. A perfect harmony, as one might expect from twin sisters, these voices seem almost eerily perfect for one another. It’s a simply heartbreaking sound and one of the most beautiful, captivating vocal displays I’ve heard in a long time.
With vocals this disarmingly effective, it’s easy to get lost in just their voices and ignore the music underneath, which sometimes feels like an afterthought. Tracks like “Belle” and “Water” clearly showcase talented musicianship, and more bare-bones tracks like “Heart” and “All I think of” don’t necessarily suffer from their simple structure, but I found myself wishing the songs themselves were as strong as the voices they support. They’ve proved themselves more than capable of a beautiful, compelling sound palate – all that remains is to apply this to a more focused approach to songwriting. Once this comes into focus it’s hard to imagine a full-length record that isn’t a 10.
| Reviewer: Will Joines Added: September 3rd 2007 |
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