Most of the press  (and by “press” I of course mean blog posts) surrounding Tobias Hellkvist is related to his charming acoustic cover of Efterklang’s “Step Aside”  (really lovely, please check it out). Hellkvist, yet another talented Swede, deserves attention for his own work as well, and I’m sure that soon enough the blogs will be ablaze with praise for his sophomore effort, Sides. Just a year since his last record, Transports,  Sides is a steady stream of relaxing songs, mostly revolving around repetitive guitar riffs and subtle augmentations from various electronic and acoustic sources. 

Many modern musicians, and music fans as well, are overwhelmed with influences, mostly owing to the increased access to music offered by the internet. To some extent it has become difficult to create a synthesis of styles without it sounding forced, or without one style dominating. Despite this, Sides skirts easy categorization,  and though it is coherent as a whole album, it ranges from upbeat and poppy to slow and melancholy. Hellkvist can sing and play the guitar, but he can also program beats and create ambient soundscapes. Why should all these things have to remain separate? Sides is on many levels a “laptop” album, though he contributes various live instrumentation which is integral to the texture and tone of the album. Like with many solo electronic/instrumental artists, the production takes cues from electronic music, and acts as an instrument in itself, without overshadowing the live instruments.

“Vintervarm” is the clear standout track, with its subtle progression and memorable melodies.  Beyond this, it communicates a calming mood without being gloomy, and is a fair example of the soothing beauty of Sides. “Summer Away” breaks up the album with its sparse arrangement of just acoustic guitar arpeggii and vocals. Intellectually I know that this should be a jarring shift compared to the rest of the album, but somehow it doesn’t feel so out of place.  It is less preferable than his more ambient work, but is written in basically the same style. I suspect that after the success of “Step Aside” cover, Hellkvist wanted to include a vocal track of his own. Hellkvist experiments with many more instruments than on his debut, including vibraphone, piano, harmonica, drums, and more. Much of his attention is focused on creating tones that work well with each other, and the electro never overpowers the acoustic.  

I don’t quite agree that the album can be clearly delineated into two halves, though a transition clearly takes place. Following the acoustic break, the only track with vocals, the album begins to mellow. “Thiloue” follows a progression similar to those of the first three pieces, while “Elves” is based around basically two arpeggio chords on an acoustic guitar. Hellkvist’s compositions don’t sound formulaic or tired, but rather rely on layering and repetition of simple melodies and complementary tones. He transitions seamlessly most of the time, between styles and moods as well as melodies. “Magnus” really slows down the pace, and the optimism and poppy quality of the earlier tracks is replaced with a more contemplative and enigmatic mood. The upbeat rhythms of the album are totally absent, and the album winds down to album closer “Reversion.” With its repetition, tremolo, lack of percussion, and prominent descending glockenspiel melody, it sounds as though it could be the soundtrack to a scene in an early Tim Burton film. 

Hellkvist’s work isn’t revolutionary, but is certainly enjoyable and well done.  His electro-acoustic  tracks use subtle ambient soundscapes and beats to flesh out the interplay of seemingly simple melodies played on acoustic instruments. Sides is a classic example of a record being more than the sum of its parts. It never quite moves beyond the realm of soundscapes, but everything can’t be functional and heady, so don’t take that as a detriment necessarily. I’m sure I won’t be alone in looking forward to future releases by this talented young Swede. Because of his mastery of shifting moods and subtle changes, and the relatively rapid pace of his output, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s scoring films by the end of the year.

-Joseph Sannicandro