Under Byen: Samme Stof Some Stof

Under Byen is a Danish band that got praise from Rolling Stone‘s David Fricke some years ago. Paper Bag Records made it a point of signing them, and Under Byen will not be “under the city” for long with such an impressionable record. Think of a cross between Bjork’s vocal gymnastics and Sigur Ros’s guitars and songs like the leadoff “Pilot”, which soars immediately, thanks to vocalist Henriette Sennenvaldt, and you’ve got the idea. Just as alluring is the oddly arranged but surprisingly infectious “Den Her Sang Handler Om At Få Det Bedste Ud Af Det” (sorry, no fricking idea what it translates into). It is a gorgeous, lush, and string-laced seven-minute track that ebbs and flows throughout before growing into something far greater than ever imagined. From there, Under Byen strike gold again with the dreamy “Tindrer” and the moody, dreary “Heftig”. Perhaps the most adventurous is the mysterious “Af Samme Stof Som Stof”, although the nine-minute eerie and haunting epic “Film Og Omvendt” sounds like it should be in some David Lynch or David Fincher film. Some numbers are shorter pieces, but another gem comes during “Siamesisk”, a simple yet very tender and sultry effort in the vein of Massive Attack. One worth seeking out!