Loney, Dear
Dear John (EMI)
Spirited away in his Stockholm home studio, Emil Svanängen, the brains behind Loney, Dear, has produced a gem with fifth full-length Dear John.
There are a few guests – notably Andrew Bird on violin on one track – but for the most part, it’s a solo work and as such, it’s as much a showcase of his compositional skill as it is of his songwriting.
The two opening tracks, ‘Airport Surrounding’ and ‘Everything Turns to You’ set up the rest of the album well, with driving, forceful rhythms and refrains which will keep winding through your mind for days afterwards.
Svanängen’s technique is to build things up in layers, piling one
instrument and melody on top of another to create his spellbinding
songs.
Later on, slower numbers like ‘I Got Lost’ bring haunting melodies and ‘Under a Silent Sea’ breaks out in menacing, almost dance-like synths before cooling down to a gentle finish.
‘Violent’ again shows his skill at the big build up, before the gentle
little closer of the title track.
From start to finish Dear John is a varied, intriguing and extremely
enjoyable listen. Now to hunt out the other four albums…
Elaine Liddle
