Label: PonyRec/ Paper Garden Records

www.myspace.com/alcoholicfaithmission

by Myles LaCavera

The sometimes Danish – sometimes NYC based Alcoholic Faith Mission, have tabled their second full length effort and are bringing it to North America. Since their first disc, Thorben Seierø Jensen and Sune Sølund have picked up a few of their native countrymen to construct a mature sophomore disc. With 421 Wythe Avenue, named for the NYC address where the band composed the album, Alcoholic Faith Mission freely admit to their Brooklyn and Canadian indie influences and quickly disarm the North American critic. In this case, there should be no shame for Alcoholic Faith Mission as they have picked up on the subtleties with a keen ear. Alcoholic Faith Mission’s capo-acoustic focused and noise filled backgrounds of “Nut In Your Eye” immediately reveals the pay off of adding Kristine Permild’s European-English. With a hint of culture poking through Permild’s voice, it is uncharacteristically clear and present on a disc that has a tendency to bury vocal tracks as Broken Social Scene might. Comparatively, Permild’s vocals may come closest to BSS’s “Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl”. Instead of billowing into a feverish mess “Nut In You Eye’s” mounting climax reaches its peak through Stars-ian romance in Millan-Torquil styled duet. “Guilty Scared Eyes” nestles closer to Stars drama, building slowly and with increasing intensity to the song’s collectively sung final refrain.

Just after the closing notes of opening instrumental “Theme From Soft Ice Cream Products”, the charming lull of “Gently’s” plucked acoustic guitar introduces us to Permild in dramatic fashion as she delivers the song’s only lines softly: “Just ‘cause I’m a whore/ doesn’t mean I don’t feel it when you fuck me gently”. The track’s clever contradictions of lyrical and musical tone come with breathtaking success but all of the attention should not be given to Permild as Jensen and Sølund have made out fantastically capturing a wonderfully textured collection of songs, playing tactfully between having an identifiable sound and variation. “Someone Else’s” warm simplicity plays well against “Sweet Evelyn’s” ponderous 10 minutes and 51 seconds of softly strummed guitar, slow plodding base, and wavering vocals. Possibly it is only “Gently’s” lyrical shocker that surprises more than “Time’s” dirty city horn echoing the sound of walking downtown’s unforgiving streets at night, the smell of approaching winter in the air.

There is an aura of sadness that encapsulates the disc, and in its most glorious moments it is one of those truly fine albums which you can be content to suffer in.

Alcoholic Faith Mission’s 421 Wythe Avenue is available from Danish label PonyRec and is represented by Paper Garden Records here across the pond.