Plej - Home Is Where Your Heart Was

Aah, Sweden, the home of many fantastic exports, including meatballs, little red houses and, of course, IKEA. The Swedes have given the world similarly ambivalent products with the music of ABBA, The Cardigans and Swedish Chef. We can now add to that list Arvid & Erik Niklasson, more commonly referred to as Plej (pronounced Play). Home Is Where your Heart Was can be too-easily divided into two types of song: low-key instrumentals and catchy lyrical numbers. The instrumentals are ambient affairs, with gentle Hammond organ meanderings that soothe and uplift. In contrast, the 'songs' are bouncy as new-born puppies, brimming with upbeat drums, syncopated synths, funky basslines and some intriguing lyrical matter. It's hardly pushing the listener's comfort zone, and is at best therapeutic, at worst relaxing. It's a nice little package, and as Goldilocks would have it, it’s not too short, not too long, but just right. All work and no Plej makes dance music a dull boy. [Michael Slevin]