Swedish musician Johan Agebjörn is best known for his work as the behind-the-scenes half of synth-pop outfit Sally Shapiro, but he's ready to unveil his latest solo album Notes — and Exclaim.ca has got the advanced stream.
The record sprung from Agebjörn's fascination with a Casio MT-52 — a cheap 1980s keyboard. The resulting sound is much more sophisticated than one might think, though. While the choice of equipment adds a quirky element to the set of songs, they still manage to convey a sense of dreamy melancholy.
Agebjörn recruited long-time collaborator and vocalist Sally Shapiro for a couple of tracks, as well as securing guest contributions from Loney Dear, Young Galaxy and Brain Machine.
Though primarily an instrumental album, the guest vocalists add another, lyrical layer to the subtle sadness that runs through the 12-song collection. At times mellow ("Malala's Dream," "On Golden Wings I Fly"), and bristling with shimmering, danceable synths at others ("Careful," "Alpha Beta Gamma"), Notes is well worth a listen.
The album officially arrives on February 10 via Paper Bag Records, but you can give it a spin in the player below right now.
The record sprung from Agebjörn's fascination with a Casio MT-52 — a cheap 1980s keyboard. The resulting sound is much more sophisticated than one might think, though. While the choice of equipment adds a quirky element to the set of songs, they still manage to convey a sense of dreamy melancholy.
Agebjörn recruited long-time collaborator and vocalist Sally Shapiro for a couple of tracks, as well as securing guest contributions from Loney Dear, Young Galaxy and Brain Machine.
Though primarily an instrumental album, the guest vocalists add another, lyrical layer to the subtle sadness that runs through the 12-song collection. At times mellow ("Malala's Dream," "On Golden Wings I Fly"), and bristling with shimmering, danceable synths at others ("Careful," "Alpha Beta Gamma"), Notes is well worth a listen.
The album officially arrives on February 10 via Paper Bag Records, but you can give it a spin in the player below right now.
