Band of Gold – Band of Gold

Pop music. It’s such the supermarket; given free reign, and it’s tempting to overfill your trolley. Not so Norwegian singer-songwriter Nina Mortvedt, who with eponymous debut Band of Gold applies just the right amount of theme and influence, confidently flitting between reference points from the 70s and 80s to the present day.

The result is an album of contrasts, by mood and by instrumentation. No Way Around floats across an inviting sea of strings, woodwind and harmonies; Wishes pulls things closer, brushing against (but never aping) Kate Bush’s more intimate moments. Nashville flavours (Ready) mingle with folk-rock Americana (For You), while in The Parade, the pop on offer carries a universal quality (not to mention a hook to warm even cold hearts).

Recorded, mixed, and co-composed by Oslo indie-scene mainstay Nikolai Eilertsen, such savvy production propagates interest, so that even the weaker tracks sparkle with touches both retro and modern. A record that’s received rave reviews in its homeland; by rights, it should do so here too. [Duncan Harman]