Darkness Falls: 'Alive In Us'

Music

Darkness Falls – Alive in Us

The advent of winter in Scandinavia can be a solemn occasion. Lingering dark and gloomy nights beckon, forcing the sunlight away from the tips of the Northern Hemisphere, transforming lifestyles and emotions to ones of hibernation and preservation. It comes as no surprise, then, that the debut long-player from enchanting new Copenhagen duo, Darkness Falls, is a compellingly sombre journey through the fjords and highlands of the Danish landscape.

Originally discovered by deep house-turned-post-rock producer and fellow Dane, Anders Trentemøller, the pairing has produced a majestic and ethereal album of blissfully melancholic folk and atmospheric shoegaze. The interlocking melodies of the distant piano and reverb-drenched guitar in ‘100 Meter Mind Dash’ evoke the likes of downtempo luminaries, Zero 7, with the haunting vocals of Josephine Philip painting a mournful but captivating picture of Danish life.

The bitter-sweet harmonies persist throughout the first half of the album, culminating in the epic and cinematic soundscape of ‘Night Will Be Dawn’, before ‘Josephine’ finally gives way to a deep bass-groove and 4×4 beat that immediately transport the listener to Trentemøller’s earlier house productions.

Philip’s entrancing and ghostly voice carries a number of the tracks, as in ‘Timeline’, where the instrumental parts are relatively unexciting and appear to be imitating other, better songs from their own album. That being said, it seems this Danish duo is far more comfortable creating melancholy and moodiness to reflect the sullen sentiments of their dark and wintry environment.

All in all, the album should be heard as one entire piece, as its floating and delicate nature demands concentration for optimum absorption. Perfect for Sunday morning listening.

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