By Lucie.
The last time I reviewed Anders’ music, he was a child. Two years later, he’s still a child, but with an increasingly and impressively adult view on the world; you feel it in his music, and In Unison is the most grown-up melodic mission he’s ever been on.
I’m put in mind of another newish (but like Anders, having steadily worked on his craft for a fair few years now) young artist by the name of Streebeck – indeed, Anders’ debut album feels very similar to Streebeck’s Without a Baedeker, that delicate balance of songs on happiness and on loss, with the two themes occasionally merging.
Anders’ themes are more heartfelt than ever, his voice having settled in his tender years to suit the mood of this beautiful record and its nine poetic tracks. The rough edges of his previous EP’s have been smoothed and, such is the faith in this aural collection, it’s now available to buy on iTunes.
‘You Should Smile More’ was instantly my favourite track – I’m always swayed by the bounciest song first. The subject matter (the title says it all) is simple, yet something nobody else has written about before. This is Anders’ strength, discovering new themes (generally various branches of the feelings that come with love), surprising when love is the most well-worn musical subject of all; it’s astounding to find that somebody is finding new ways of exploring it.
I’m loving ‘Under The Sun’, ‘The Hard Goodbye’, and ‘You’re Always There’ too, songs that span emotion, as the entire record does. The album sounds effortless and clean yet deep and soul-searching, an odd and enticing mix that surely is the stuff that makes the best records. Anders rules, forevz.
www.myspace.com/andersla