Kate Havnevik - Melankton

Striking and elegant is the voice of London resident/native Norwegian Kate Havnevik. On Melankton (translated "black rose", the album is named for a character in a Norwegian book), Havnevik and a host of producers surround her lovely instrument with swelling, flowing strings and a subtle sense of rhythmic momentum often achieved through electronics and programming. Havnevik's music is just nonconformist enough in sound and arrangement to engage followers of daring artists like Bjork, yet she possesses enough accessibility to reel in those with a fondness for the hooks of electro-pop songstresses like Dido. When all the pieces fall into place, Havnevik and her collaborators create a strange, appealing blend; moments of clear beauty exist, though such moments seem not to have been created through nuance or use of space, but through an intentional effort to make the music beautiful. Tracks like "Travel in Time" and "New Day", which make the best of the orchestral/electronic blend present throughout the album, enjoy a truly special quality. By album's end, consistently moderate tempos and a definite reliance on stringed instrumentation weigh things down a bit but the record's overall effect still shines through. Havnevik seems poised to make a significant splash, having just completed a tour with ambient act Air and having landed several songs on the ever-present Grey's Anatomy; the tracks on Melankton give evidence that should Havnevik's star rise, she has the talent and wherewithal to back up the hype. [www.katehavnevik.com]