Sekunden, by Swod

So, as far as where Swod's album Gehen "went," for me it was a satisfying aural experience. Makes sense then that I'd move on to their second and most recent album, Sekunden, or "seconds," and see how they fared the second time around.

The entire mood of Sekunden is decidedly more hopeful than Gehen. Where Gehen was dark and pensive, Sekunden is like a glowing, positive response. Maybe this was what they were going for, observing the opposing track titles: Gehen's Nein (No), and Sekunden's Ja (Yes). The chords are valiant and trills are shimmering, and the electronic aspect of it is bright and open rather than ominous. Not that Swod's entire sound underwent a drastic transformation to bubbly electronica (I would've been outraged, believe me) - they still retain a bit of the eeriness of their first album, in this light it's just less mysterious and more dreamy. They ditched most of the creepy static and speech in favor of more playful beeps and whines, and also focus more on the main acoustics at their disposal: piano, bass guitar, and some cymbal.

Sekundun opens with a stream of echoing piano against hushed static, and the sound strolls steadily along as if to lead the listener into the rest of the album, just like a proper first track should. Suddenly, the steady electric buzzing cuts, and the music surfaces and takes a breath. Ja is patterned with clear, vibrant chords, their old staple of foreign samples, and electronic murmurs that fling like boomerangs through it. As always, Swod is minimal, but their sound feels deep and wide, and travels especially fluidly through this album.

The tracks Deer and Insects extends Swod's play with the illusion of natural ambience that they experimented with near the end of their previous album. Belgien is my favorite of the album, and ripples with whirling, broken chords that rise and fall as quickly and dramatically as breath. The two tracks that end the album return somewhat to the sound the pervaded Gehen - colder and narrower. In fact, Patinage is distinctly reminiscent of Gehen, with a much more minor-sounding construction backed by pattering beeps and a quivering cymbal. Sekunden resolves with Swod's sound enveloped once again in shadow.

Swod seems to have come full circle, from dark to light and light back to dark. My overall impression of this album is definitely a positive one, but it didn't strike me quite the same way Gehen did. I suppose I could attribute that to my notion that tragedy is often just innately more interesting than cheer, and I felt drawn further in to the bleak vibe of Gehen than I did to the airiness of Sekunden. This was, however, a pleasant listening experience, one that I'm sure would feel more than appropriate should the right mood befall me. Isn't that what music is all about, anyway? Providing the soundtrack to your soul's current state of being, accenting or transcending the words you could use to describe it? Something like that.