★★★★☆
Best known for their previous album Rhine Gold, which was used as the soundtrack for hit TV show The Bridge, Choir of Young Believers’ have released their fifth album, Grasque.
Initially the record seems to include Rihanna-like RnB beats alongside Eno-esque synth transitions. On fifth track ‘Græske’, Jannis Noya Makrigiannis’ vocals take on an ethereal, raga-like chant. Makrigiannis hails from Copenhagen and thought up much of this album on a Swedish farm with producer Aske Zidore. Yet this album is not restricted by landmass.
Instead, the tracks weave a complex web of sound. What should be grimy beats quickly morph into emotive chimes, and a sound that is at one time hauntingly chapel-like rapidly morphs into urban roughness.
With song titles ranging from ‘The Whirlpool Enigma’ to ‘Olimpiyskiy’, Grasque is expansive and all-encompassing. While tracks are not immediately distinguishable from others, the textural development of each alone – particularly ‘Does It Look As If I Care’ and ‘Jeg Ser Dig’ – is astounding. These songs mutate from piano-led smoky jazz to ambient synth work. Makrigiannis’ voice has a sensitivity rare to find in serious male musicians without it taking on a wussy, frail tone.
Hardly an album of party bangers, this record is saturated in complexity and nuance, requiring several listens before you feel you can even begin to grapple with the sound.
