Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir

Loney, Dear is the Swede Emil Svanängen, and Loney, Noir is the follow up to the quite remarkable Sologne, where his gentle Simon & Garfunkel meets Sufjan Stevens quiet folk music.. well, it 'relaxed' out of the speakers beautifully.

This is the first album for Sub Pop, a label which gives you an idea of how leftie-alternative this dreamy pop can be. And it is better than Sologne.

Lusher, warmer, more melodic, more comfortable with its layers of primarily acoustic instrumentation. This is where the promise of the Kings of Convenience left off and a whole new promise begins.

Carrying a Stone is hypnotically gorgeous, propulsive and compulsive; Saturday Waits is like a long-lost Beach Boys classic.

Fans of Andrew Bird, Bright Eyes, Jose Gonzalez or Sufjan Stevens have to have this album.

It wears its perfection well, somewhere between Emil's warm falsetto and the tone of the Northern Lights.

Rating 9/10
Mike Rea