[rating=3.50]
Niki and the Dove are an electro-pop trio from Stockholm, Sweden. Their first full length, Instinct, was recently released on Seattle’s legendary Sub Pop Records. The band generated significant blog hype last year with their first single “DJ, Ease My Mind”, a piece of jack-nugget ear candy that makes a lush and ominous case for the healing power of the dance floor.
Today’s hipster hallmark, 80s electro, is enlivened here because of superbly crafted melodic structure that seems to reflect a thoughtful study of pop music. Moreover, the electronic production, bass and keyboard work of Gustav Karlof and Magnus Boqvist is crystalline and precise. The crunchy and thick drum patterns of “Tomorrow” and the frosty, ambient reverberations of “In Our Eyes” shine. Digitalized melodies play off the glacially cool vocals of Malin Dahlstrom who finds a coy joy in weaving elegance above the sturdy sonic support. “The Gentle Roar” is understated; a vocals-in-the round gem that thrives because of, not in spite of, its melancholic calm. “Mother Protect” is dance floor pop at its finest and “Love to the Test” is cloyingly catchy and beautifully banging. This is superbly well-made and thoughtful dance music designed for the skinny jeans set to turn it out at the next house party.
