The Hanged Man - Of Blood Is Full (2017)

Rebecka Rolfart aka The Hanged Man, with a past in Those Dancing Days and Vulkano, was recently seen behind El Perro Del Mar at Popaganda. That established artists want to hire the 28-year-old's skills is completely understandable; she is a musical talent with the strength to go her own way and at the same time used to collaborating with others.

Since Those Dancing Day's self-titled debut EP from 2007, Rolfart has been active in a variety of contexts, but it is only now that a full-length is being presented to the world – an album that follows up the EPs First Quarter Moon (2014) and Lord Have Mercy (2016).

The accumulated experiences, including the negative experience of breaking through as a young person, have resulted in a personal and challenging expression, where music-making is prioritized over the drive to be seen. Cinematic elements, such as the muted instrumental track "Mermaid Mourning" - the atmosphere captures the sound of the calm before the storm - are mixed with melodic psych pop songs such as "The Crack" and "Shut Your Mind". The undertone is mystifying, colored by 80s-scented synths and lyrics about being haunted. In Rolfart's pop universe, a good night's sleep is not allowed.

Closing track "Demons Drain" makes me look around for monsters, could the neighbor be possessed? Is there someone in the attic? The music makes the imagination go into overdrive.

Of Blood Is Full is recorded in Italy, the promised kingdom of wine and decadence, but it is also a country characterized by religious cults and secret societies. I don't know if this background helped create Italy's thriller culture in the 70s and 80s - either way, progressive cult band Goblin terrified listeners with songs like "Suspiria", "Witch" and "Phenomena". The Hanged Man's "Manontemon" gives exactly the same feeling and the same applies to the intro to the opening track "Blåkulla".

My favorite track on the record is the evocative "Heart Beats Slow", which more or less moves forward, to finally go down in slow motion. The production is dazzling, with elements of 60s orchestrated pop interwoven with dreamy synth melodies. And like the album in general, the song is completely free of noisy guitars. Instead, it is Elias Jungqvist's and Anna Myrstens' synths that play the main role, alongside the god-given Rolfart of course.~Daniel Andersson