ALBUM REVIEWS

Hafdís Huld SYNCHRONISED SWIMMERS RED GRAPE 27.6.10 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk Cutesy folk-pop. Hafdís Huld's Synchronised Swimmers is simple acoustic pop. Her sweet, demure, high pitched vocal is nice enough, but not enough to fully lure the listener in. There are a few tracks that I was happy to listen to more than once – 'One of Those Things', 'Boys and Perfume' and 'Kongulo', but the album itself was almost too sickly sweet for me. Huld hails from Iceland , she toured the world with Icelandic dance band GusGus at just aged 15, she also supported Paolo Nutini on one of his UK tours in 2006, shortly after releaing her debut album. Still relatively unknown in the UK, she has played festivals including Glastonbury, and The Big Chill. I'm all for uncomplicated, pure music with simple melodies, but this didn't quite do it for me. I probably would have liked it more if she has continued on the melancholic, acoustic pop rather than unashamedly trying to be kooky on tracks such as 'Robot Robot' – about a robot boyfriend (I kid you not). That said, I feel that the bad press that this album has received is not entirely wholly deserved. It isn't a bad album, it just appeals to a specific type of person – not a moody northerner who loves her guitar music!!! Becci Crowther www.hafdishuld.com Email Links & Comments to the editor Check the latest album releases