Agnes Obel

danish songwriter's penchant for melancholy atmosphere goes deeper & darker on these sparse songs of genuine, heart-stopping beauty.

building on the sonic template of her debut, 'aventine' features a small ensemble including cellist Anne Müller (nils frahm), mike posen (timber timbre) on violin & viola & robert Kondorossi (Budzillus) on guitar. the album was arranged & produced by agnes, who provides piano & vocals. opening with the delicate, ethereal piano intro 'chord left', 'fuel to fire' embrace minimalist influences in the looped piano melody underscoring agnes' yearning vocals. 'dorian' sees gentle, ancient sounding rhythms creep in as low cello creates a sense of palpable drama. 'the curse' heads around a more experimental curve, letting vocals hover over plucked cellos for half the piece before the piano adds a rolling, rhythmic lope. "a strikingly spare album of great, but frosty, beauty" 4/5 - mojo.