Bang Gang

Something Wrong

(From Nowhere)

Record Review by Marcel Feldmar

Bardi Johannson and Karen Ann are, together, the duo known as Bang Gang. With a name conjuring up audio images of some kind of disco rethread full of hand claps and go say yeah at the panic team kinda hijinks, it’s a nice and soothing surprise to hear something completely different. The CD starts of with Karen’s enchanting melodic vocals sliding up and around like a cross between Halou, a more straightforward Bjork, and a little Portishead, but happier. Then as the songs move, the vocals switch to Bardi’s slightly hushed tones as he balances his words against the ethereal vibe. Dynamics hit up and down, but always within a cool ice flow of warm blue lounge. Atmospheric pop that just moves you to drift and dream.

There are moments that slide up from a low Nico groove into a slightly higher Belle & Sebastian smile, and then it all spirals down again like Billie Holiday touching the soul of the saddest chord and stretching it over an ocean of notes. There are little hints of an alt.country sadness that move alongside bands like Whiskeytown, Tarnation, maybe a Mazzy Star hit or two, but it’s always attached to that cool blue. Not ice cold, just more like a snow cruise, lounging by the icebergs instead of by some tropical palms. The lyrics flow like poetry, and captivate the listener as the music hypnotizes.