Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are is widely known and loved, so any body of music that takes its name from that book will be judged with a critical eye. Swedish band Death And Vanilla has created such a work with new album To Where the Wild Things Are, and it proves itself worthy of the comparison. A thoughtfully crafted and delightfully expressive combination of vintage psychedelia, dreamy electronica, and baroque pop, it has hooks and depth, and is completely satisfying. While there is heavy reliance on electronics, the music has a warm, shimmering feel derived from the delicacy of the arrangements and use of analogue equipment. Nilsson's voice floats in like a apparition in the mist, whispering in the background. The hazy vibe is amplified by the duo's choice to record using one '70s microphone purchased at a flea market. Perhaps we could call it haunted pop from your favorite ghost, but the result is the perfect soundtrack for the literary work it honors.
We've provided a few tracks for you to evaluate - "California Owls", which for me recalls the Velvet Underground, the dreamy "Arcana", and "Time Travel", which reminds me of the Beach Boys. This is absolutely lovely music, and one of the best ten albums I've heard so far this year.
Death and Vanilla are Maleen Nilsson and Anders Hansson, and they are from Malmo, Sweden.
To Where The Wild Things Are is out now on Fire Records.
Bandcamp
Fire Records page for album
Fire Records
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