aaamusic | On 27, May 2012

Daniel Land & The Modern Painting’s second album The Space Between Us has stirred considerable acclaim and anticipation. This proves to be more than deserved already as the opener Echo & Narcissus draws to a close, setting the woozy, love-drunk tone of the record. The softly spoken lyrics tackle the subjects of love, distance and longing, with a sort of dark spirituality at play throughout. This emotional density gives layer and passion to these gorgeous pop ballads, reminiscent of a winning mixture of Echo and the Bunnymen, the Cranberries and Depeche Mode. Songs like Cherry Bark and Almonds show the ethereal, sparse nature of their breed of pop at its highest potential. The highlights of the album are packed right at the end, with Sleeping With The Past and Eyes Wide Shut both intense, intimate tracks with undoubted single potential. The Space Between Us comes to a close with the stunning 13-minute long Starfish Fucking, a perfect climax to the hour or so of pop experimentation and passionate confession that preceded it.

★★★★★

Chiara Amoretto