Beauties Never Die

We Say...

Review by Barry Walters

Bergen, Norway's Sissy Wish, aka Siri Ålberg, writes songs that are — at least on the surface — more cheerful than the snowbound Scandinavian indie-rock norm. At her catchiest, her thickly textured tunes marry indie introspection with Europop get-up-and-go: Remove her distinctively squeaky voice from "Dwts," dilute her ear candy's tangiest flavors, stick on Kelly Clarkson, and BLAMMO! — a surefire American hit. Instead, what you get here is something more sustaining — human-sized pop with the musical and emotional reach to wrap its arms around the world.

Released back home in 2007 and finally getting a genuine US release, Ålberg's third album pairs her with Jørgen Træen, who similarly produced and played on the early albums of fellow Bergen native Sondre Lerche. He manages to brighten and modernize her densely detailed arrangements without dumbing them down: Loads of arcane instrumentation and sonic razzle-dazzle maintain interest long after the hooks have caught your attention. Ålberg's advanced compositional abilities nudge her toward Burt Bacharach territory on the title track, where Træen matches her sophistication with a breeziness that animates their keyboard, bass, and string window dressing. Check how her melody and meter mutates through "Music on the Radio" in a way that manages to be far more complex than typical broadcast fodder yet just as compelling. Ålberg frets as much as her fellow Nordics, but offsets her anxieties with easy listening polish and contemporary studio pizzazz. She can't be confined to playing the worrywart.