Fredrik

Na Na Ni

BY Cam LindsayPublished Oct 25, 2008

It’s always funny when a designated side-project trump the main project but that’s very much the case for Malmö, Sweden’s Fredrik. Formed as a distraction from their synth pop unit the LK, members Fredrik and Lindefelt (no last names) felt a desire to pursue pop music in a different direction. Assembling a six-piece group named after Fredrik, they channelled their inner "traditional European” folkies, like the Fairport Convention, as well as a more experimental framework, to produce Na Na Ni. Keeping the intimacy of the LK’s recent Vs. the Snow LP, Fredrik are a painstakingly tight unit that weave their songs together like the finest baskets. The music has a sense of longing, felt most through the tender arrangements, which tug away at dramatic melodies though a heavy barrage of mostly acoustic instruments. At times, they’re quite delicate and sweet, but the collective have a flair for getting serious, beginning the album with the strongest cases of each mood, "Black Fur” and "Morr.” Na Na Ni is one of the most beautifully arranged albums released this year, and should give its principals some serious consideration as to which act they should deem their side-project.
(The Kora)

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