The Swedish sextet is now four albums deep into its career, and by the looks of things, they'll be playing for the rest of their lives. Not necessarily by choice, but by the time the public gets a hold of North the band's future will be out of its own hands. We demand more.

Previously, the band stuck out by being a non-metal act among a rough and aggressive HydraHead roster (US import, of course). This was quite an interesting development, as the outlets that picked up Sunset Panorama weren't necessarily optimal choices for the band's ideal audience. HydraHead concerns itself mostly with metal bands, and you can't expect a metalhead to really get into something soft, slow, and melodic (were not talking about Jesu here). As such, the album wasn't received with open critical acclaim, called everything from twee to post-hardcore to emo, and even the mighty Pitchfork Media blotched the review by calling it a "paint-by-numbers." Apparently the Swedish magic wasn't rubbing off on the right people.

Admittedly, Logh is not an easy band to get into. It does take some time and patience to really grasp the subtle power driving the band, and even fans of related music often have difficulties dipping into Logh's world. Yet, the fact remains -- Swedes are crazy about this band, particularly other Swedish bands. Any regular reader of The Silent Ballet should know by now that Sweden is the place to be; a god-awful band coming out of Sweden is equivalent to an above-average band coming out of just about any other country, so Logh's popularity with musicians in the area is especially impressive. Surely they must know something that we don't?

Whereas Sunset Panorama was recorded in less than ten hours, North is jokingly proclaimed as the "longest indie recording in world history," the point being that a lot of time and thought went into the new album. Painstaking calculations and optimization methods mark the new album, which is as close to perfection as albums come these days. Generally, such an overabundance of studio time would result in a contrived, over calculated album, but this is not the case with North. It's readily apparent that Logh has meticulously crafted these songs, and the band's true strength lies in its songwriting.

It's rather difficult to pin down and discuss the appeal of North, because ultimately it's crafted to tailor fit the listener by recalling memories and experiences that sit side by side with the band as the album progresses. And the subtle nuances of the music, while not demanding attention, inevitably arouse the senses more than they should. The steady rising action in "The Black Box" initially barely turns a head, but while fully immersed in the album, nothing could be more epic or bourgeois. The transitions in "All the Trees" are nothing special at first glance, but after repeated listens you begin to question if you've ever heard it done better. "Forest Eyes" - has there been a better song to mellow out to? And the rest follows suit; hidden gems can be found in the shuffle, and the well-trained listener will be up to his ears in gold.

This is really the hidden power of North -- it is as good as you want it to be, with a passive versatility that really adopts to your mood, and not vise versa. It's not often that an album can sit with a listener through the trials and tribulations of life, as well as the joys and celebrations, but Logh expertly navigates these waters in a way that only a band who was truly in tune with its craft could accomplish. These tracks are endearing and powerful, yet at the same time subtle and relenting. Compassion is met at every angle with deference, and the mixture is a potent combination.

It's so frequent that we witness bands starting out on a high note and slowly fading out as the passion that motivated initial recordings is eventually loss through a variety of outlets. Logh is aging like a fine wine; each release brings the band's music to another level and they avoid the overzealous pitfalls of their peers. This discipline and restraint is perhaps the most tangible aspect of the band throughout its discography, and likely a recurring element that will appear in future works as well.

Although Logh's masterpiece rests four albums into its career, this is a result more of the methodology behind the musicians than it is evidence to a slowly developing band. As such, I'm confident that this is a band that will continue to stay with us through the years. Its gentle touch by such skilled hands is a welcome presence. With time, Logh will only continue to dazzle.

~Jordan Volz