Kristian Harting – Float

Album Review by Ross Watson | 06 Feb 2014
Album title: Float
Artist: Kristian Harting
Label: Exile On Mainstream
Release date: 3 Feb

Kristian Harting may be well-versed in noise rock and thrash metal, but the Danish singer-songwriter puts the past aside, favouring personal acoustic music on his debut solo release. The material is mostly minimal, ranging from simple, strummed melodies to more drone-based, effects-driven pieces. 

 

There's a weariness flowing through from beginning to end; even the more childlike songs are underpinned by a creeping sense of dread and emotional turmoil. Feathered Ghosts has Harting sounding both nervous and confident – there's something fascinating about his ability to display both sweetness and mild panic at the same time.

 

Float's more ambitious moments are often its strongest: Queen of the Highway's sickening desert rock dirge makes some of the other cuts look pedestrian by comparison. The muted, minimalist nature of these recordings will perhaps leave some yearning for more layers of sound to get lost in, but this is still an accomplished work of soul-bearing solemnity. 

 

Playing Manchester Sound Control on 8 May http://kristianharting.dk