Bim & Bianca - Appletalk (2009)

Bim and Bianca are the key figures in an alternative reality staged by Norwegian Kristine Jacobsen and Swedish Bengt Øberg. Born from a desire to create music inspired by the proximity to nature, they moved to a small island in Åland with a baby, studio, solar panel and wind turbine. The result of the experiment was Appletalk, probably the closest one can get to an ecological record. Mostly, only renewable energy was used in the process of recording, which took place in its entirety over three months while the duo was isolated on the small island of Køkar.

With such a starting point, it's not surprising that Appletalk has become a very hot and ground-level record. Despite the fact that Bim & Bianca largely use electronic elements to build their music, they manage to create an atmosphere that conveys a sincere love for both animals and plants. The album is inspired by a magically realistic approach to text writing, and with the duo's background in sound design and visual arts, Appletalk has become a release that not only creates an imaginative musical dream world, but also provides space for an ever expanding universe around the fabulous figures Bim and Bianca.

Bim & Bianca has done a remarkable job of forming a unique musical expression. They are balancing gloriously at the intersection of rusty pop, ingenious electronics and soft jazz. It sounds both dreamy, curious, introvert and genuine at the same time. A number of other genres and sources of inspiration also shine through without destroying the origins. At Foggy Days, the associations of R & B and Soul fall asleep, while the duo on Come As You Are flirts with psychedelia and almost approaches Massive Attack in the expression form. From time to time, they also move out of the comfort zone and surprise with a more extroverted attitude, such as on Widowed Again.

The single Lucy, however, is not one of the strongest songs, but still has a number of interesting elements. Here we are guided through the duo's somewhat chaotic universe led by a saxophone theme in the name of mysteries. This fantasy world is obviously not always harmonious. The track evokes the feeling of being drawn to something that you do not fully understand and which you may not be completely ready for, but which you still cannot resist. The Crow also gives one the feeling of being caught on a journey of discover with dangerous connotations. Elegantly executed, and almost scarily stimulating.