Eyes of a Blue Dog - Hamartia

‘Hamartia’ is defined as a fatal flaw, a moral mistake, even sin. Yet these songs seem full of subtle sensuality and a very human vulnerability to love and desire - if Eyes of a Blue Dog are the stern moralists such a title implies, they’re conflicted ones. ‘Spin Me’ at once introduces their intriguing way of mixing elements, with its melodic guitar line, limber drumming, the crunch of electronic percussion and Elisabeth Nygaard’s clear, powerful voice, both tempted and tempting (“Burn me and turn me on”). ‘Closer’ and ‘Desire’ continue the recurrent theme of deep need and the resulting sense of potential danger in being so open to another. ‘Closer’ has a compelling, tambourine-driven rhythm and builds to a trumpet-led climax, immersing in the emotional maelstrom. ‘Desire’corrects any simplistic notion of these being songs of mere female neediness, Nygaard hitting the high, sly note of a Mathilde Santing as she tells her lover: “I’m in control/Of the ceaseless fire”. On ‘Hamartia’ itself, her light tone again evokes a playful Santing as she sings of her and her lover “playing with fire.”The jazz-inflected drums and trumpet of Terje Evensen and Rory Simmons are outstanding - crossed with synths and dub-touched vocals, the track becomes a whole new definition of acid jazz. ‘Drug I Can’t Deny’ is aptly intoxicating: muted multi-tracked trumpet shadows the voice before a slight pause, and the climactic introduction of a dizzying, swirling synth phrase that interleaves with harmony vocals and slick, inventive drumming. Some relief from the emotional exposure comes from the instrumentals ‘Vicario Square’ and ‘Luminescence’. Simmons’ trumpet, set against keyboard washes and crashes, recalls Jon Hassell, his tone pure and strong as if echoing over the rooftops of Oslo. ‘Before the Night Ends’ is a duet with ex-Guillemot Fyfe Dangerfield. With its sparse accompaniment and fragile vocals, it’s among the least interesting tracks, only once the vocals end being partially saved by an affectingly melancholy keyboard. On another album it might rank highly, which says something about the company it keeps here. The dreamily funky drums and aching vocals on ‘Blow’ conjure the mournful spirit of the first two Portishead albums, the sadness accentuated by brooding keyboard and heartplucking strings as Nygaard caresses the words. If the track’s chief influence is clear, it’s also not too much to say that it could be smuggled into an extended edition of ‘Dummy’ without disgrace. With singing and playing that can move heart, mind and body, ‘Hamartia’ may nonetheless be centred on the flaw that makes us reach for completion through another, sometimes at great emotional and moral cost. But Eyes of a Blue Dog do a near-perfect job of exploring those tangled feelings.

Track Listing:-

1 Spin Me
2 Closer
3 Desire
4 Vicario Square
5 Unhappy Mondays
6 Hamartia
7 Drug I Cant Deny
8 Luminesce
9 Before the Night Ends (feat. Fyf
10 Blow
11 Macondo