A couple of songs from Tobias Arbo…
Sweden’s Tobias Arbo is no stranger to our blog, first gracing us with his presence last November with “Saudade.” Well, ladies and gentlefolk, he is back today with a couple of wonderfully heartfelt gems, “Powerlines” and “Carousel.”
“Powerlines” brings the listener some fantastic acoustic guitar work and Tobias’ signature tenor, ever so slightly reminiscent of Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens– the reason we fell in love with his sound in the first place. With this song, we get the theme of self-reflection, which is one of our most prized aspects of a folk song. In this one, he explores “the duality between the self and the superego – and all its flaws.” What we’d like to point out to the listener is the robustness of this song’s production, even though it beholds no percussion– the wonderfully doubled vocals and their corresponding harmonies bring so much thickness to the performance that not many additional elements are required in order to leave one’s ears completely satisfied.
The next track, “Carousel,” maintains all of the raw, heartfelt characteristics of “Powerlines,” but revolves more around an organ in lieu of an acoustic guitar– at least, at first. To be quite honest, it feels as though the song is being performed inside of a cathedral, although the production is left relatively dry. One of the most fascinating features of this track is the way that it gradually crescendos, increasing in sonic saturation as it moves forward. Elements are added, with the organ eventually giving way to guitar, bass, and percussion. The production is also lined with ethereal elements as Tobias lets his voice drift into a falsetto and back again. And by the time we’ve reached the end, the organ-driven intro is nothing more than a memory– one that you can relive simply by pressing play again.
Both songs are available on Tobias’ new EP, also called Powerlines:
-HD