Jacob Faurholt

Super Glue

Written by: HES on 12/04/2016 16:52:23

Singer-songwriter Jacob Faurholt’s “Corners” was one of the first albums I reviewed for this site. His direct and honest lyrics made an impact and so has the followup “Super Glue”. Whereas “Corners” was sometimes a very ambitious record in regards to testing the limits of abstraction, “Super Glue” is a convincingly gathered, collected and dare I say it, beautiful record. One of the most convincing features of the album is the collaboration between Faurholt and producer Brian Batz, also known from the shoegaze/dream pop project Sleep Party People, which has successfully added a new dimension to Faurholt’s compositions.

Faurholt shows off his range by going from psyched synth-pop tracks, like the album’s namesake "Super Glue", over a spaced out version of a Bon Iver track like "Floating In Space" to the distorted "Holy Mother". Faurholt’s voice is naturally melancholic and flawed as opposed to controlled or technical. At the same time Batz’ production adds a certain dreamy light to all of the songs by aid of strange old synths, the sound of old tape-recordings or intriguing echoes, almost as if all the songs origins from an old drawer of curious things, having rummaged around with old souvenirs, paper clips, and small notes before now being taken out for display. This old, slightly bent and dusty feel almost makes the listener disappear in hazes of sound. But then again some of the songs still have enough bite to protrude through the haze. Among them the best example is “Future Wife” – a well-crafted pop song with exceptional use of distortion in moderation, creating a weirdly “squeezed” yet bright soundscape.

There is no doubt that Super Glue is a more “together” album with mainstream appeal than "Corners" was, especially with the addition of Batz’ surprisingly well-fitting touch. But I can’t help but miss a bit of the explosiveness and weirdness of the former album – something that gave it more personality. The project seems to have become a joint vision of both Batz and Faurholt – which in many ways has a great potential, but on the other hand, a bit of Faurholt’s own expression has succumbed to the new ideal. It’s almost a catch-22 because both soundscapes have each their own strengths. Besides that very limited critique, Faurholt once again delivers an interesting and euphonious LP.

8

Download: Future Wife, Super Glue, Floating In Space
For The Fans Of: Sleep Party People, Treefight for Sunlight, Thom Yorke
Listen: facebook.com

Release date 22.01.2016
Danish Music & Entertainment

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