Originally issued to critical acclaim last year, the Danish trio’s debut Gemini gets the increasingly common special edition reissue treatment for the UK market with the addition of three new numbers.
Fronted by Ida Wenøe, Boho Dancer bring an undeniable Nordic ambience to such acknowledged influences as Cohen, Mitchell and Drake, though, as the poppily uptempo Fictional Reasons demonstrates, that doesn’t mean the customary cool detachment often associated with the Scandinavian nations. Mind you, the melancholic lyrics often remind you of their high suicide rate, Martin a song about a friend who had a psychotic breakdown and the sparse bluesy chill of Epicene (a little Kate Bush here) having her assuming the persona of a writer who drank themself to death. On the final track of the original version, the spindly Waiting On A Summer (Never To Come), she sings about wanting to take off her skin and describes the song as being about sadness and paralysis.
The three new numbers are tagged on to the end, beginning with Me & Your God, a track that starts out as cool, almost ethereal folk before percussion suddenly bursts in, setting up a marching beat as the number builds to a punchy finale that recalls the acid folk of the 60s.
Pistols also juggles time signatures and quiet-loud dynamics while the last of the additions, Good Vibrations (not the Beach Boys classic), is built around a drone with Wenøe’s delivery all witchy and conspiratorial as she sings about “growing in your arms” and being “the honey in your skin”, the track slowly gathering to relentless syncopated shuffle and a final, urgent vocal flurry of desire and need that is, to be frank, all rather disturbing.
Whether these were recorded later or date from the original sessions is unclear, but the effect is intoxicating.
Review by: Mike Davies
Released by Slow Shark Records, Out now
Posted by the Band on their Facebook Page 16th April 2014:
Boho Dancer will take a break for an indefinite period. The road has taken us to new musical places that need to be explored. Boho Dancer still exist by the things that we’ve created together and the beautiful experiences we had with you during the past 5 years. We hope you all will do us the honor and keep Boho Dancer alive by sharing the music that is still living and breathing.
We’ll keep you posted with our other projects, and please feel free to use this page as a Boho Dancer community still.Here’s what we’re all up to at the moment:
Símun will be on the road with Asbjørn (Official), Kites and Komets and Broken Twin. Asker will soon be releasing a new album with @Maskinvåd and Ida Wenøe is working on a new solo album and will have a single coming out on the 2nd of June.The journey we’ve been on these past five years has been extremely fantastic, moving, exciting, challenging and inspiring. We’ve learned so much, seen so much and loved every single minute. Thank you for being with us, we hope you’ll continue being with us.
See you here, there and everywhere
LOVE from Símun, Asker & Ida