Hafdis Huld - Synchronised Swimmers

Synchronised Swimmers, the radiant sophomore solo release from Icelandic chanteuse Hafdis Huld, finds that special place that resides just left of center in the sphere of deliciously melodic and witty alt-pop. The mood is playful and the touch is light on songs that sound like they were recorded with all participants sporting an ear-to-ear grin: witness the irresistible "Action Man" (after the jump) where a pair of blissed out back up singers pop up to offer sighing "oohs" and "ahhs" to Huld's breathy vocal charms and a lighthearted banjo twang. The follow up to Dirty Paper Cup, Huld's acclaimed 2006 debut, Swimmers finally bobs ashore to U.S. fans November 23 (via Radikal) following release in Iceland last fall and the rest of Europe this month. The album is currently available digitally via the usual suspects.

In lesser hands, Synchronised Swimmers thirteen songs could have be a saccharine sweet mess. But Huld has a vibrant, independent streak that keeps the proceedings refreshingly off-balance and serves as a marvelous antidote to the cloying, deadly serious mannerisms that often weigh down less assured singer/songwriters. The simply arranged title track, where a jangle of guitar strums and Huld's girlish vocals simply grab you by the hand and run, or the lush-as-velvet musical landscape of the sublime "Winter Sun" are songs that expose a deeper, more mysterious force at work. Huld's Swimmers consistently dives beneath the glassy surface to emerge with something extraordinary. Highly recommended.

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Hafdis Huld - "Synchronised Swimmers" (from the album Synchronised Swimmers)

Hafdis Huld - "Winter Sun" (from the album Synchronised Swimmers)