![]() On the chorus of “Flood,” in the shadow of a drum machine and synthesizers that rise tall like futuristic oaks, Tamko’s voice embodies that modern-day creative isolation, taking on an almost robotic sheen. “Flood,” which served as the introduction to Vagabon’s self-titled second album, diverges from previous Tamko recordings, which were rooted in the singer-songwriter’s melancholy croon and guitar playing. The word “relief” implies a temporary state, a short break from a more permanent condition, but Tamko’s statement can also be seen as an acknowledgement of what creativity in 2019 looks like: at its best when untethered from the exhaustive rituals of self-promotion. She described the process of creating for someone other than herself as “relief” from writer’s block, saying that there was freedom in that transference. Lætitia Tamko, who makes music as Vagabon, has said that “Flood” was initially written for another act to record. But that’s the thrill of black midi: They’re as unsure of where the muse will lead them as the listener is. As the song continues, these disruptions become more frequent, building to a tempest of discord that’s cathartic, indulgent, and kind of silly. Energetic bolts of noise and percussion materialize from the sky and vanish just as quickly, disrupting the groove but not toppling it. The resulting mood is placid but tense, like a flame meandering down a fuse. On “bmbmbm” (pronounced “boom boom boom”), they are puckish and aloof, stacking oblique lyrics and a warped sample of a wailing woman over a calm bass riff and steady drumming. It’s tempting to take the quartet’s audacity as a challenge-to pop sensibilities, to listener patience-but it’s more rewarding to embrace their constant sense of wonder. Listen: Kasper Marott, “Drømmen om Ø (Forever Mix ’19)”īlack midi traffic in beautiful convulsions, spazzing between rhythms, textures, and keys with a dexterity that’s so precise it’s dazzling, so fluid it’s showy. “Drømmen om Ø (Forever Mix ’19)” may hit like a shock of tropical color against a gray city exterior, but it takes the length of an early-morning dream to achieve its blissful effects. But the music here is slower-paced, introspective. ![]() Forever Mix is the second release from Kulør, the label run by fellow Danish artist Courtesy, following a compilation that introduced the city’s “fast techno” style. “Drømmen om Ø (Forever Mix ’19)” (the first part of the title translates to “The Dream of the Island”) is also a strange bird within Marott’s own Copenhagen techno scene. ![]() The record’s A-side, “Drømmen om Ø (Forever Mix ’19),” is a sumptuous, 14-minute mini-suite that lofts picturesque bird calls atop sleek drum pulse, rubbery acid synths, clattering Latin percussion, and other meticulously rendered subtleties. Yoshinori Mizutani’s cover photograph of vivid lime-green parakeets outside a drab urban building is ingeniously suited for Kasper Marott’s Forever Mix EP. Kasper Marott: “Drømmen om Ø (Forever Mix ’19)” It turns out the woman who built a career on fairy tales and scorched-earth breakup songs is just as deft with the simple and soulful. This is the stuff of real intimacy, of partnership, of creating a language and a life together. “Lover” features a classically swooning, Swiftian bridge-one designed to soundtrack wedding vows in renovated barns until the end of time-but its most penetrating lines depict the unglamorous stuff: telling dirty jokes, saving seats, deciding whether or not to drag out the air mattress for your college friends. How can you make sure a good thing lasts forever? ![]() Both songs are tributes to the dirty work that goes into keeping a relationship healthy, and they’re spiked with the fear and doubt people feel even when that work is paying off. With its rustic arrangement and domestic imagery, it sounds like a spiritual sequel to “New Year’s Day,” the acoustic cleansing that closes 2017’s divisive Reputation. “Lover,” the title track from her most recent blockbuster LP, is a reminder of how effortlessly she can translate specific gestures and moments into universal expressions of romance. There’s room in Taylor Swift’s galaxy for celebrity warfare, veiled political commentary, and enthusiastic allyship, but her work is finest when it’s laser-focused on flawed, hopeful people making a connection.
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