Rating: NNNN
When all the SXSW dispatches labelled these Scandinavian shoegazers heavy My Bloody Valentine-ophiles, it wasn’t just a lazy comparison. Listening to their second LP, I’m almost convinced Kevin Shields and Bilinda Butcher are actually in the band. From the feminine, ghostly whisper in Selina’s Melodie Fountain to the filtered, sonic guitar wash on Drain Cosmetics, it’s evident vocalist Lina Holstrom and mastermind Emil Nikolaisen spent dutiful years studying the Loveless bible, which in this case is a definite blessing. Co-produced by Steve Albini and Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth), the Oslo five-piece flirt with overindulging their feedback fetish, as on Un-Deux and Her Name Is Suicide, but avoid wankery by reining in the songs just before boredom sets in.
