Search - Nanook of the North :: Taby Tapes

"From the towers of Swedish suburbia we welcome the wild one

W. Johnson | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 11/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While hanging out at a party in the suburbs of Stockholm, friends Mattias Olsson (Nanook Of The North, Pineforest Crunch, Änglagård, etc.) and Olle Söderström (also of Pineforest Crunch) heard Nanook playing songs about his travels from Alaska to Täby, Sweden. They convinced him to record the songs in Mattias' home studio, Roth Händle, providing an arsenal of gadgets and toys (guitars, organs, horns, Optigan, Omnichord, Stylophone, theremin, etc.) to flesh out the songs and luring some of Sweden's favorite female singers of the 80s to lend their voices to the project.



The resulting album is a true treasure from these ancient lands in which our hero finds that navigating one's own heart can be far more challenging than traveling halfway around the world. "The Täby Tapes" is proof positive that truth is stranger than fiction.



Many musical guests include Pea Hix (Optiganally Yours/Physics/Tit Wrench), JFRE 'robot' Coad (Aspects of Physics/ Physics/Lesser), and a cast of strikingly talented female singers that you haven't heard of previously, like Camela Leierth, Karin Engstrand, Irma Schultz, Malin Olofsson, Jennie Löbel, and Akaba.



This is a simply gorgeous record, perfect for the cold winter months. Nanook Of The North will appeal to a wide range of listeners spanning fans of Postal Service's playskool pop, The Delgados' boy-girl duality, Múm's fractured, chilly Nordic electronics, Moonbabies all-encompassing originality, and lovers of the tender, downtrodden dreamer "from Alingsäs to the stars!"



The CD's deluxe packaging features images of Taby photographed by Nanook alternating between printed translucent sheets. These photos were the source of inspiration that prompted Nanook to begin writing, and the booklets do them justice... and let the story unfold from there!"