Hailing from Copenhagen, Choir of Young Believers returns with its third studio album, Grasque, out on Ghostly International. Employing Peter Gabriel-esque synth and a thunderous new wave beat, the Young Believers creator, Jannis Noya Makrigiannis, patches together layers of clean, mellow sound. Jannis’ project is a solo one but the Dane performs live as a duo or other times with up to eight musicians on stage. Although some tracks on this album draw on for too long, something must be said for what is likely the most comprehensive and faithful new-wave-revival album in recent years.
Grasque holds a very orchestral sound. The album breaks with the first track, “Olimpiyskiy,” which invites the cavernous and hollow sound of “Serious Lover.” As the second track, this really grabs your attention—the poppy dream sound à la recent Depeche Mode is hard to dislike. “Vaserne” rings in a Spanish guitar and is an introduction to an interesting element of high production value in the vein of Sting that is rarely heard in the realm of music today. “Face Melting” cranks down the tempo into a low, mellow track that rolls and twists. “Jeg Ser Dig” reaffirms the theme prevalent in “Vaserne.” Unfortunately, after this, Grasque slows down with few exceptions, becoming almost boring until “Salvatore,” which revives the album.
Recommended If You Like: Caribou, Peter Gabriel, Toro y Moi, Depeche Mode, Com Truise
Recommended Tracks: 2 (Serious Lover), 4 (Face Melting), 3 (Vaserne), 11 (Salvatore)
Do Not Play: None
Written by Dylan Fox on 03/19/16