Soap & Skin - Narrow

Soap & Skin

Narrow

PIAS Recordings; 2012

B+ 

Anja Plaschg's follow up to Lovetune for Vacuum has finally arrived, 3 years later. Lovetune just might have been the greatest album no one listened to in the 2000's. Anja created a masterpiece that was hauntingly beautiful. Her ability to combine her sultry voice, well composed piano riffs, and out-of-nowhere electronic soundscapes made me feel she would be more than a one album wonder. Narrow features all of the above and while it would be impossible to top Lovetune, it is a worthy follow-up.

"Vater" seems like Anja's way of getting right into it. Instead of  giving us one of her breathtaking intros she begins the album by singing shortly after a simple piano riff. It starts off fairly well but seems to lack the substance found on Lovetune. It's not until 2:45 when she seemingly gets bored of the new direction she was headed and does a near 180 by returning to her roots. When everything comes together at 4:00 the payoff is definitely worth it....Soap & Skin has returned.

"Voyage, Voyage" is another excellent track and while "Deathmental" and "Cradlesong" aren't the strongest tracks on the album, they are still solid. "Wonder" is one of the highlight tracks as it might be one of her most accessible song's in her entire catalog. "Boat Turns Toward The Port" has some haunting vocals and much like Sigur Ros, sometimes the way vocals are delivered can be much more powerful than lyrics themselves. I would have to imagine the album might have felt more complete if she used this track as the closer.

Overall, this album is short but sweet and although it doesn't have the "album of the decade" feel Lovetune did, it is still very solid. At only 22, it seems like we can look forward to more masterpieces by the great Anja Plaschg.

 
Highlight Tracks:
"Vater"
"Wonder" 
"Boat Turns Towards The Port"

Other Review(s):

BBC: 8 of 10