Rosenvinge is definitely a chanteuse; her beguiling, heavily accented voice cracks and murmurs through a set of dark ballads and dreamy, somewhat folk-tinted introspective songs which sometimes remind me of Nico’s vocal delivery.
Rosenvinge is definitely a chanteuse; her beguiling, heavily accented voice cracks and murmurs through a set of dark ballads and dreamy, somewhat folk-tinted introspective songs which sometimes remind me of Nico’s vocal delivery.
Christina Rosenvinge – Continental 62
http://www.midheaven.com/ http://www.konkurrent.nl/
A fine LP and quite surprising; I’d not heard much of Danish songwriter Christina Rosenvinge, apart from the odd track here and there, and they’d passed me by. This album is a cracker though. After what seems like a perfectly sane piano-led beginning with opening track Continental 62, White Hole kicks off to spectacular effect, all growling guitars and strident drumming. It certainly gets you wanting to hear more.
Rosenvinge is definitely a chanteuse; her beguiling, heavily accented voice cracks and murmurs through a set of dark ballads and dreamy, somewhat folk-tinted introspective songs which sometimes remind me of Nico’s vocal delivery. This is true on the chorus to Window (which incidentally has Lee Ranaldo on backing vocals). Quien Me Quierra? is a strange blend of sixties pastoral and loungey jet-set boss nova. There are elements of weirdness too (necessary to the role) as seen in the frankly strange, dreamlike Helicopter.
It is true; this LP does owe a substantial debt to certain sixties genres; maybe its the drumming or the organ on Liar to Love, maybe its the woozy cocktail bar shuffle of Jelly, maybe its the chanteuse stance Rosenvinge adopts throughout… whatever. No matter, it’s bloody effective. It can be bloody romantic as well; Tok Tok is Mick Harvey like in its passionate intenseness.
A very, very good release and one worth checking out immediately.
Words: Richard Foster.