An Album By Korallreven

VINYL FORMAT. After their introduction to the world through the singles "The Truest Faith" and "Honey Mine" (both of which appear here remixed and remastered) the partnership of Marcus Joons and Daniel Tjäder (also of The Radio Dept) presents its debut album, An Album By Korallreven. The project was conceived after Joons returned from an extended trip to Samoa where he found inspiration in the local Catholic choirs. Mesmerized by the beauty of the South Pacific and the exhilaration of travel, he shared his newfound passion with Tjäder and a partnership was born.

One of the strongest traditions in Swedish Pop is escapism. For a country that spends much of its year in winter darkness this should come as no surprise. From ABBA's Fernando and Ace of Bass' All That She Wants to the contemporary Balearic obsessions of The Tough Alliance, jj, and Air France, references to southern climes abound. The music of Stockholm's Korallreven champions this tradition while extending it across a range of different genres.

The result is a blissful journey through influences as far flung as Southern Rap, Dreampop, Reggae, and Minimal Techno, among many others. The glittering, joyful production focuses on melodic evolution rather than structure; lush, dubbed-out instrumentals perfectly complement trance-pop vocal.

Joining the duo for the ride are a host of collaborators including Victoria Bergsman (Taken By Trees, The Concretes) and Julianna Barwick. Bergsman, who contributed her signature dulcet vocals to second single "Honey Mine," returns with the swirling meditation of "Pago Pago" and the anthemic dreampop of "As Young As Yesterday." With Samoan choirs being a major influence on the record, who would be better to enlist than Julianna Barwick? Here, her loop-based vocal soundscape on "Sa Sa Samoa" builds from a choir of one to an ecstatic eruption. Released this November, An Album By Korallreven wistfully yearns for summer days. As our days shorten and the cold sets in, take it from the Swedes: nothing quells the stirring for warmer months quite like the brightness of a sincere pop song.