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COME UP FOR AIR
WHITE BIRCH (THE)
2006 , NORWAY
, EAN CODE 4030433761625 - EURO 11.50
Label: GLITTERHOUSE RECORDS
ALBUM REVIEW
…While the aforementioned band and the legion of other post-Radiohead/Sigur Rós acts strive to create dense, orchestral rock that resonates with calculated melancholy and raw emotion, The White Birch have effectively done so without pretension…The Norwegian trio’s 2006 long-player is an evocative and expressive work that, despite its dense, flowery melodicism, displays an innocently unassuming lyrical charm…Led by primary songwriter and vocalist Ola Fløttum, The White Birch craft atmospheric ballads on an orchestral scale that serve as impressive and grandiose backdrops for the band’s wistful, almost painfully heartfelt vocals. Fløttum’s voice has a boylike delicacy that falls somewhere between Nick Drake and David Gilmour and is capable of lapsing into falsetto a la Thom Yorke or Chris Martin (as on the gorgeous "Stand Over Me")…. In the manner of much Scandinavian (Icelandic, in particular) music, Come Up For Air possesses a crystalline, unmuddied shimmer that serves as a kind of sonic accelerant, granting the tracks deeper purchase into the listener’s consciousness… Emotional, but far from overwrought, The White Birch’s Come Up For Air comes highly recommended.(tinymixtapes.com) This is the fourth full-length record by the trio from Oslo, Norway… The first time you push play on this album, you will have the word "minimalist" in mind. Early into the record, you might underestimate the greatness of the very soft sound of piano and acoustic guitar, as well as the intensely warm voice of Ola Fløttum. On the first listen, you will find similarities in Fløttum's singing with Chris Martin of Coldplay and Jón Þór Birgisson of Sigur Rós. But soon enough, you'll find something that's in between the two and that will totally knock you out. Actually, The White Birch are one of the artists that fit perfectly with the genres often called dream pop or slowcore. Their music stays very mellow from start to end, and there is no moment where this momentum ever breaks. The White Birch are absolutely sure to be memorable to whoever gives them a try. Similar to: Sigur Rós, Oceanographer, Red House Painters, Rivulets.(Alexandre Poulin)
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Tracklist & Song Samples:
1. Seer Believer (3:52)
2. Storm-Broken Tree (3:19)
3. Your Spain (4:21)
4. The White Birds (5:30)
5. Silent Love (4:34)
6. June (3:53)
7. Stand Over Me (4:39)
8. Small Hours (4:14)
9. We Are Not The Ones (2:45)
10. The Astronaut (3:39)
11. New Kingdom (4:57)
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