aaamusic | On 23, Oct 2011

Kate Havnevik is a Norwegian singer-songwriter, and she sounds a hell of a lot like Frou Frou. Havnevik’s new album ‘You’ contains the same kind of light, electronic music and layered, airy vocals as the now defunct, British electro duo of Guy Sigsworth and Imogen Heap. As soon as I found out that Sigsworth handled much of the production of ‘You’ everything instantly made sense.

 

Havnevik’s last album – ‘Melankton’ – received fantastic reviews over here, and in America she managed to radically increase her exposure through having music featured in TV show Grey’s Anatomy. In fact, a ridiculous 8 out of 12 tracks from ‘Melankton’ were featured on the show! ‘You,’ however, hasn’t managed to garner very much pre-release publicity. This maybe because of the Pledge Music campaign involved with this album (a worthy release method, but one that tends to go unnoticed), or perhaps it is because Kate Havnevik’s brand of moody electro-pop isn’t as relevant as it was back in 2007, when her debut came out. Nonetheless, ‘You’ is a decent album, boasting some fabulous trip-hop-pop production from Sigsworth, and a captivating vocal performance from the singer-songwriter herself.

 

‘Krakowska (Forbidden Fruit)’ is a strange, understated opener with an unmemorable melody but some futuristic keys and a liquid drumbeat. The second track ‘Mouth 2 Mouth’ would have been a better introduction to the album, with a solid drumbeat and soaring chorus. Tracks like ‘Halo’ and, in particular, ‘Tears In The Rain,’ have a real Bjork feel to them – especially in the brooding vocals (not that surprising considering Sigsworth has also worked with the Icelandic princess). However, most of the album and pretty much all the vocals do sound exactly like Imogen Heap (both Frou Frou and her solo output). The highlights are the sweeping strings and upbeat pop of ‘MYYM (Me You Your Me)’ and the galloping, machine-gun drumbeat of ‘Disobey.’ If you’re a fan of Imogen Heap, Frou Frou, Bjork or Goldrapp then you should definitely check out Kate Havnevik.

 

Clive Rozario