Vapnet
Nagot dalight nytt har hant
Hybris
Not missing a step between last summer’s Jag vet hur man vantar and now, Sweden’s Vapnet’s release schedule is timed perfectly to herald the return of warmer weather and optimistic abandon. The group still parlays the same Caribbean grooves wrought under the eternal sunshine sheen of summer in Scandinavia to great effect. Their tracks are rich with layers of drum machine percussion, lilting glockenspiel and flute melodies and an endlessly dance-oriented bass. On the opener “Tjernobyl” the lushness created is inescapably catchy thanks especially to the Byrds-ian chiming guitar and punchy horn swells. Guest vocalist Jens Lekman appears on the glitchy disco number “Hall ihop,” which finds much of its strength in the contrast between the staccato movement of the music and Lekman’s unhurried croon. Giving in more to modern production on “Slapa hem mig,” the glockenspiel melody is cut and pasted back together somewhat jarringly, drawing attention to itself and setting it at odds with the heavenly air created by the synths and Anna Modin’s breathy wordless sighs. This incongruence between organic pop songwriting and Vapnet’s obvious affection for technology are what set them apart from contemporaries like Camera Obscura and The Concretes. Effectively, their regular releases are their remix albums and by keeping close tabs on how many ones and zeros they insert into their work, they pull off the rare feat of pleasing both the bedroom listeners and club goers in a single go.
Hybris: http://www.hybrism.com
