This grandiose synth duo from Sweden has released a lot of singles but has yet to produce a full-length album despite having been an ongoing project for the past 16 years, They have assembled their singles and compiled them here into this album. They are highly skilled at grooves and big sprawling atmospheres, so those skills are showcased here. The vocals are oddly androgynous but work well on the anthemic "Hand Out the Drugs". While their song generally pulses off the melodic theme they establish with few surprises, they are still skilled enough songwriters to muster hooks. This applies even when things simmer down to more of a ballad.
In some ways they remind me of Sigur Rios, in how the dynamics float, but without the post-rock instrumentation and more like applying it to Pet Shop Boys like new wave sounds. This is heard pretty clearly in "Don't Take the Light Away". There is also a touch of Kate Bush in the feel of "Teenage Bliss". I can hear how fans of Fever Ray might dig this as it shares a similar odd vibe. It gets labeled Dark Wave, but this project is goth in the same way Cocteau Twins are, the darkness is veiled in ethereal wonder. "Demons and Shame' is the first song I would say is dark. Goth in the same way Zola Jesus falls into the genre.
"Glassy Eyes" has a touch of folk to the vocal melody. "Bocelli" finds the vocals taking on a less biting tone. This also creates another more balladic moment. "Bowie 95 " is the first time we hear the vocals drop into a lower more masculine voice. If I was DJing a goth nite it's the song by them I would fit into the mix. 'Panic Music" has a weird youthful vibe to it. Some of the synths feel like 90s house. "Losing" features Anna Von Hausswolff, it's a pretty haunting song. The vocals are really well produced. Henric De la Cour also adds his voice to the choir. "Hopelessly Unholy' is a great song title. It's the orchestral version, giving it an almost Rufus Wainwright feel. There is no doubt he is a great singer, but he does make so weird choices in phrasing. "Hum Hum' is the last song, it's not far removed from the spectrum of sounds they have indulged in so far. Less emphasis on the vocals, making it feel almost more like an outro. I will give this a 9.5, it's pretty spectacular, like taking in a movie with your ears.
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