Much as she did on her third album, 2010's
Follow the Light
-- which was the when her developing skills truly matched her grand ambition --
Molly Nilsson
crafts sad and beautiful synth pop on 2011's
History
. It follows the same basic template of matching her deep, affecting vocals with a variety of synths and haunting melodies to come up with a sound that is simple but almost painfully heartfelt. Recorded alone at her Berlin home studio, it's the work of someone digging deep into their soul and not being afraid to lay herself bare. Songs like "Skybound" and "You Always Hurt the One You Love" don't hold anything back emotionally, "In Real Life" sounds ripped from the saddest scene of an '80s teen movie, and "I Hope You Die" is both her most heartbreakingly honest lyric and sweetly morose melody. It's not all gloom, though; "City of Atlantis" is almost peppy and sounds like
the Pet Shop Boys
pounding out a stadium house track on cheap gear and well, that's about it for lighter moments. Mostly,
Nilsson
buries herself in melancholy sounds with sad lyrics that cut like steak knives and vocals that have a tear-stained, deadpan grace. She's again created a world on
that's easy to sink into, letting the sadness creep into the bones and the beauty transport all but the hardest-hearted into the heart of
's wonderfully idiosyncratic music. ~ Tim Sendra