It seems that each year a really great alt-country album surfaces from the unknown. We all drool over it, saying it's one of the best albums of the year and start wishing we were from the petri dishes of Americana like Michigan, Minnesota or Georgia. We revel in the folksy music of guys named Sam, Bob and sure, even Devendra and Sufjan. But Olof? Who would have thought that this year's alt-country superstars would be four guys from the Arctic climes of Sweden? Despite their north European home, the sound of Amandine has a warmth distinctly rooted in American folk and one would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

Amandine's first studio album, This is Where Our Hearts Collide is a quiet but fatal blow to the heart with sounds reminiscent of the Cowboy Junkies' Lay it Down. It's subtle, soft and beautiful with a melancholy tone and lyrics by which to drink yourself under the table. The accented vocals add something haunting yet angelic that sends a shiver down one's spine. When the strings kick in on second track, "Halo," one is even reminded of the recent folk stylings of Natalie Merchant.

Olof Gidlöf's vocal style has the hushed quality of Iron & Wine and the higher toned sweetness of Alex James or Patrick Park, which can at times make him sound detached, or at least a little hungover. That boozy feel makes its mark throughout the album, as one tends to recall the times they turned to liquid therapy to ease a troubled heart or mind. Forget the fact that the whiskey might be replaced with Aquavit, heartache is heartache no matter where you're from, and maybe that's why Amandine has been able to connect with American alt-country.

"Firefly" is a track that can tend to sound like an early Radiohead B-side as if arranged by Damien Rice. "Sway" is like a slowed down version of a Gene song, which in turn was compared to the Smiths, so I guess you could say the song is like the Elected covering Morrissey. They save the best for last with "Heart Tremor," a song which builds on itself with instrument after instrument until a Love or Sufjan-like horn ending to beat the band.

Okay boys and girls, find a dark room all to yourself, put This is Where Our Hearts Collide on repeat and prepare to drink yourself into oblivion as you become lost in the memory of past heartbreaks and missed opportunities.

Similar Albums:
Cowboy Junkies- Lay it Down
Patrick Park- Loneliness Knows My Name
Songs: Ohia- The Lioness


Amy and Terrance Terich
12.15.2005