Chiaroscuro
Swedish electronic duo I Break Horses' sophomore LP Chiaroscuro finds a band deliberatly slowing down and simplifying their sound. But for all this reduction, I Break Horses are left with little that they can call their own.
The Swedish outfit move into more immediate synthpop territory on this startling record of light and dark.
Chiaroscuro: the technique of managing light and dark in pictorial art. As titles go, this one’s a statement of intent with substance and weight. This second album from these pioneering Swedes reads like a chill rebuke to the horde of boy/girl electro duos currently making waves, if not inroads. At every turn, they unseat expectations: Maria Linden's vocals buried somewhere in the distance; the brittle nu-rave warp of Faith tussling with the hyper balladry of Denial; the glassy, swirling mix (shades of Vangelis and Donnagio) pricked by astringent, fractured sounds.
The follow-up to Swedish duo I Break Horses' 2012 debut Hearts finds chief songwriter and vocalist Maria Lindén deeply entrenched in expansive synthetics and, as the fits-like-a-glove title suggests, plays heavily with the idea of contrasts.
<p>Maria Lindén's synth-pop is stylishly conceived but too often fails to engage, writes <strong>Phil Mongredien</strong></p>
Review of "Chiaroscuro" By 'I Break Horses'. The latest album from the Swedish band comes out January 21 on Bella union + Pias .The First single is "faith".
Maria Linden's second album is weighed down by over-complicated arrangements, but its peppier moments have a lot of appeal, writes <strong>Maddy Costa</strong>