Croatian Amor

Isa

BY Matthew ClarkPublished Jan 22, 2019

8
Dismantled machinery, garbled transmissions, obfuscation coupled with moments of clear reprieve — with Isa, Croatian Amor's Loke Rahbek takes a step further in the direction presented on his previous album under the alias Love Means Taking Action, creating disconcerting, almost alien ambient pop that bursts at its edges with tension.
 
The number of collaborations on the album, from more popular artists such as Yves Tumor or Puce Mary, to smaller faces from Copenhagen (where Rahbek is from) create a sense of virtual community in the music that transcends boundaries of geography or success. Rahbek leaves more than enough space on the album for each collaborator to showcase their unique voice, which gives a welcome sense of warmth to an album that is at moments icy cold.
 
"Siren Blur Accent" is one warm moment of beauty, as sparse, undulating synth tones and vocals slowly twist and dance around each other; a sense of floating high above it all.
 
There may be a sense of foreboding that comes with Isa, but ultimately it doesn't come without a sense of hope for the future, meaning the listening experience at the end of the day is uplifting, as opposed to draining. Like sun shining through the clouds after a storm, Isa is equal moments tumult and bliss.
(Posh Isolation)

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