Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammxen (or “The Revelation Over The Mountain” in English) begins well and has what we all have come to expect from Casiokids – perfectly blended electronica, bursting in all the right places with melodic cavernous vocals, and I’m excited to hear the rest. However, my excitement doesn’t last long as the album reaches the middle and descends into, well, not so much. I think the problem here is they can’t decide whether they are electronica, ambient or indie – it sounds like they’ve asked Hot Chip and Sigur Ros to do their homework because they just can’t be bothered. You can still hear the typical Casiokids sound in there somewhere but it quickly diminishes and becomes more ‘ambient’ and almost shoe-gaze at times rather than the fun electro-pop we’re so familiar with.
Enough whinging though, there are some good points. ‘Kaskaden’ is one of the most interesting tracks, with electronica and Afrobeat fusing perfectly together creating a beautiful mix. ‘Golden Years’ isn’t bad either, and typical of Casiokids with punchy melodies and a great beat, timed with fun uplifting vocals. There are a few others that have it together – ‘Olympiske Leker’ is another recommendation, for its bassy feel, sparkling xylophone and twinkling synths throughout.
A bit of a disappointment from Casiokids this time, and with 11 tracks not even scraping 45 minutes long, they’d get a ‘please try harder’ in my class. I’d maybe not waste your pocket money on a purchase, more like borrow it from your friend or fish it out of their rubbish bin once they’ve heard enough.
