33
Cajsa Siik
Contra
D
Review by Sean Coyle
oes popular music need a more
eclectic sound in an effort to shake
things up? One candidate to elevate
this problem to the above question is Swedish
artist Cajsa Siik. Deserting the predictable
pounding dance sound of contemporary pop
Siik has unleashed her album Contra to critical
acclaim. Exuding the same haunting appeal as
Kate Bush/Florence Welsh/Tori Amos and
even a small bit of Madonna, Contra is a good
example of modern art pop as a “commercial
vehicle” its not trying to be overly artsy for the
sake of it.
The lead single Higher is a good choice to
reel the new listener in, then unveiling the rest
of the album with all of its masterful sonic
moments. Birds is a beautiful song it is a very
mellow ballad, it’s a sad song lamenting lost
love but not in a predicable way.
If you were expecting Caijsa to follow in the
footsteps of fellow country women Robyn and
Neneah Cherry with there dance/hip hop
sound or even the bubble gum factory pop of
Sweden of the past fifteen years or so – forget
it! This album is a breath of fresh air in a very
subtle way, yet the album has a very sombre
overtone the dance beats don’t pulsate and the
guitars don’t soar making it a nice mix.
Relentless Delight is a jaunty number that
shakes the album up a bit, the drums are
dramatic and the song has a xylophone
element to it which switches it up a bit leaving
the sombre tone behind and adds more
aggression to it. Cold and Clear is back to a
slower mood her voice is clear and precise and
is quite pleasant to listen to.
Highlights of this collection are – Higer,
Birds and Relentless Delight
The U.K edition of this collection has an
extra song Follow You Down – and more
songs will be released over the Spring that are
not on this album. Cajsa Siik is playing gigs in
the forthcoming future and Contra is released
via Sing for you/ XS music group.
It is definitely worth a listen.