Rule of Thirds
Album | Azure Blue
A downcast, gentle beauty.
Swedish singer-songwriter Tobias Isaksson's first solo album (after fronting the bands Irene and Laurel Music) manages the neat trick of being suffused in a certain strain of 1980s pop while rarely sounding specifically like any particular artist from that era. Even the opening cover of "Fingers," a song by the late Go-Betweens singer Grant McLennan, is transformed by its wistful, synth-driven arrangement. Isaksson's whispery vocal style and lovelorn lyrics give Rule of Thirds a distinctly intimate and melancholy vibe, but it's not one of those albums that slides by on atmosphere. Tracks like first single "The Catcher in the Rye" and the cyclical, yearning "Long Way Down" have substantial melodies and instantly-memorable hooks. Though Isaksson claims his direct inspiration was Dennis Wilson's cult-favorite solo album Pacific Ocean Blue (which does in fact have a similar feel of downcast, gentle beauty), Rule of Thirds is as likely to appeal to fans of The Magnetic Fields as The Beach Boys.
| The Catcher in the Rye | |
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