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There is a brilliant sonic trick at the heart of Stockholm, the 3-track EP from Danish artist Mama Tjutju, a musical deftness that few ever manage to pull off this well. Although the sound here is one of delicacy, it is also full of various layers, musical tones, and sonic textures that build and blend into opaque, gossamer beauty. Mama Tjutju understands that delicacy comes from playing less and then crafting that less into exquisite and elegant musical shapes.
“Advice,” the opening track, is a prime example of this in action. Based initially on just a picked acoustic guitar and her soft and seductive vocal, as it goes, it wraps itself in additional sonics – electronic washes and shimmering percussion, additional vocal harmonies, and chiming piano lines. The result is a gorgeous introduction to Mama Tjutju’s world, a world that is built on sonic reduction and poised playing.
“Doubt” continues the theme of combining honest and direct lyricism with beautiful music. Again, it rises from similar minimalist soundscapes and slowly takes on beat and drive, cocooning itself in rich and lush sonic effects as it approaches its conclusion.
The record rounds off with “Try,” a song that stays closer to more traditional indie-folk sounds than the experimental folktronica of the previous tracks; an acoustic guitar provides a tumbling cascade of notes, a rhythmic pattern that gives the song a surprising sense of anticipation and atmosphere. Most of the song’s dynamic comes from the vocals and a slow rise of half-heard, distant, brooding sonics, but as before, the simplicity and space create the magic here.
This is a gorgeous collection of songs, and although there are only three, I defy anyone who listens to Stockholm, and listen properly, not to immediately want to know more about the artist and anticipate what comes next.
