Fredrik Klingwall & Julia Black
Sentience

Tracks
01. The Fall
02. Black Snow
03. Collapse
04. Into the Dark Heart
05. Vespering Bells
06. Memoir
07. Last Breath
08. Night of Introspection
09. Estranged
10. At the Precipice


Band:
Julia Black - Vocals
Fredrik Klingwall - Synthesizers, Mellotron, Acoustic and Electric Pianos, Hammond Organ, Church Organ, Celeste
Gustaf Hielm - Bass, Baryton Guitar
Mattias Olsson - Drums, Percussion, Vibraphone
Hanna Ekström - Violin, Viola
Anna Dager - Cello


Discography:
Debut


Guests:


Info:
Music by Fredrik Klingwall
Lyrics & vocal arrangements by Julia Black
Additional drum & percussion arrangements by Mattias Olsson
String arrangements by Hanna Ekström and Anna Dager of Stockholm Strings
Produced by Fredrik Klingwall
Mixed by David Castillo at Ghost Ward
Mastered by Thomas "Plec" Johansson at The Panic Room
Recorded at Roth-Händle, Ghost Ward, Uninvited Studio
Artwork and Layout by Costin Chioreanu

Released 2019-02-22
Reviewed 2019-07-11

Links:
klingwall.se
youtube
bandcamp
vicisolum records

Fredrik Klingwall has been collaborating with Romanian singer Julia Black to make this album called Sentience. And they have in turn enlisted the help of some strong musicians and competent people for mixing and mastering, that sort of thing. The artwork isn’t great but it works alright for the album. It is an album that can be described as a pretty atmospheric and quite abstract creation with excellent vocals from Julia Black.

Sentience is a fitting title for the album, it feels a tad dreamy and it blends pop, rock, and some mixings of jazz and perhaps a sense of cinema. The production is really good, the sounds strong and the vocals are quite great, and it is an album with many strong elements that mix together and shows much depth and presence. But it is also an album where you wait for a climax that never really comes; it is like the album is building up to something that never comes, like a movie missing the final act.

It is a good album but it could have used one or two faster songs as I think the album lacks some dynamics that stops it from being anything more than just a good album. To be great this album would have needed some songs that are faster as the album is a bit slow and feels a little bit tired at times. It is good, the atmospheres are great, as are the vocals but it is something lacking, that little bit extra that turns good albums great, that is missing from this album. But that doesn’t mean we have a poor album on our hands, just one that isn’t as good as it could have been.

If you like the dreamier stuff this album will be appealing to you with the great atmosphere and wonderful vocals. But in the end it is an album that doesn’t quite live up to what it could have been. With some pacier songs this album could have been quite brilliant but it isn’t, it is a pretty fun album but I think that it will be very soon forgotten despite its great atmospheres.

HHHHHHH

 

 

 

Label: ViciSolum Records
Three similar bands: Fredrik Klingwall/Anima Morte/Rising Shadows

Rating: HHHHHHH (4/7)
Reviewer: Daniel Källmalm


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