After a shaky start with the B-movie tinged When Debbie's Back From Texas, this album gets going with "Viewed From the Spire" and doesn't look back. "Crime," featuring avant-garde trumpeter
Jon Hassell, and the acoustic "Little Star" (also included on the Romeo & Julliet soundtrack) are pristinely perfect.
Nordenstam sings in a cutesy, girly way. Often it's difficult to make out her whimsical words. The music is dreamy, atmospheric, and at times, angelic. A choir is employed for "Little Star" and "Murder in Mairyland Park." Quite clearly this is an alternative album; if comparisons are to be made, let's just say that if there's a place with an interesting jukebox,
Nordenstam's second release would sit nicely with
David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees. Further gems shine through in "Something Nice" and "She closed Her Eyes," which closes with the sound of rain. ~ Kelvin Hayes