329) Northern Portrait - Criminal Art Lovers

Here we are heading to another country for a review, I’ve recently done bands from Norway and Canada so let’s nip over to Denmark for Northern Portrait.

Of course I’ve not heard of them so straight on the internet and their record company tells me their “raison d'être is the making of sophisticated pop music.”    This is the reason I’ve not been hired to ever write something as I would say they write excellent jingly jangly pop songs. 

My gran lived to 101 and no surprise her hearing wasn’t the best towards the end but if she was still with us and I stuck this on even she would say “ah that sounds like The Smiths or Gene,” ok she wouldn’t as for some reason she was not familiar with Morrissey or Martin Rossiter, her loss, but I think you get the subtle hint I’m trying to make, see basic English.

Surely lead singer Stefan Larsen spent many an hour listening to Morrissey’s and Rossiter’s vocals to perfect his own but even more impressive he is also doing this not his first language, you wouldn’t know, his delivery is superb.

Münchhausen in Me we jangle away and Larsen wails over the ending and When Goodness Falls the soaring lyric of “I’m so glad to disappoint you,” is an early highlight.

Crazy was their opening single and is a strong first song to release and would have set their stall out and piqued people’s interest.

The Operation Worked but the Patient Died is more relaxed but of course you want to hear a song with that title alone.

Life Returns to Normal the guitar and vocals weave between each other, What Happens Next? is a song Morrissey and Marr would have been proud to have on their debut and New Favourite Moment has a drums and guitar moment at the end of the first chorus that is worth hearing again and again.

They are wearing their influences on their sleeves here but when it’s this good, why not.

7.5/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: What Happens Next?