The Danish duo of Jessica and
Mats Björk return on their second album with a focus that's less immediately post-shoegaze, more understated folk/country strum -- not quite a shift from
Slowdive to
Mojave 3, say, but still an intriguing twist.
Beautiful Days is above all else a soothing album sonically, something that's good for times when all is stress (and otherwise enjoyably contemplative for those calm moments). Jessica Björk's voice balances between the gently entrancing and the sometimes spookily stern, as on the flowing, flute-tinged "In a Dream," which could just as easily be an understated nightmare. The more conventional hooks of "Summernight" -- one can easily imagine it as a sharp full-on rock song, but here has the steady chug of downbeat
Spacemen 3 gone understated -- and the twang of "Broken Love" are no less enjoyable. As the album progresses, more gently psych-glazed arrangements step forward, as can be heard on the echoed guitar/keyboard parts and steady rhythm of "Clocks" (appropriately titled, in that case!) and the lovely instrumental "The Lake," an electric guitar-led meditation that effortlessly leads into the more uptempo swirl of "By the River." ~ Ned Raggett