Rumskib : Rumskib
Odense, Denmark group Rumskib have released their debut with much mention of shoegaze surrounding it. These analogies are deserved, as Keith Canisius and Tine Louise Kortermand have produced a work with roots planted in the last 15 to 20 years. The revving guitars and chiming flutters that run beneath Rumskib are very reminiscent of the genre’s crowning pinnacle, My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. There are also similarities to Snowpony’s 1998 debut. Thankfully, these facets are augmented by enough different stylistic elements and several excellent songs to give Rumskib a presence of its own.
“Hearts on Fire” is almost a mirage of sugary sound. Manual architect Jonas Munk adds beats that shimmer rather than puncture. “Springtime” has romance, nostalgia, and a Pumpkins worthy glaze to compliment the serenity. “Dreampoppers Tribute” recalls Annie Lennox and Soul 2 Soul, while “Where are the Flowers” marries Lush and Stereolab. “Think Eyes Away” successfully channels the kind of romantic angst found in Sofia Coppola’s Lost In Translation and The Smiths’ “There Is a Light that Never Goes Out.” When Kortermand sings “it’s not you, it’s not me/ It’s this town, it’s this situation” with a remarkable similarity to Debbie Harry, there’s a sense of foreboding and the all too familiar. “Sneak” nods to Holly Golightly and Kim Wilde amidst Kevin Shields.
At times the record is pretty abstract. “Crucial Love Games” is reserved with hints of Cocteau Twins, while “You’re My Japan” recoils around a handful of beautiful echoes. These moments punctuate moments of gorgeous focus. “Ovation Outsiders” takes the caustic cynicism of Liz Phair’s Whip Smart and numbs it with a guitar-laden bed of “liquid tension.” “Girl Afraid” has some of the poppy heart ache that the Cure used during Wish. Sometimes the most obvious impressions are definitive. Rumskib is simply a lovely record.
Similar Albums:
Manual – Azure Vista
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
Snowpony – The Slow Motion World of Snowpony
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