Time for another vinyl review. This time it is "The Big Black & The Blue" from Swedish duo First Aid Kit featuring the sibling harmonies of Klara and Johanna Soderberg. The female voice and vinyl are known to be very compatible so it seemed reasonable to expect a sonic treat.
But first, the songs. It might sound strange but First Aid Kit don't sound Swedish at all and instead provide a nicely understated impersonation of American style folk harmonies. You can see the appeal in this approach as at no time does a song force itself upon you. In fact, pretty much every song sits down and has a nice cup of tea with you and persuades you to like it over the homemade scones.
I'm a great believer in the power of female harmonies and those on show a degree of charm and technical precision but, to tell the truth, they also seemed more than a little cold. There were, of course, moments of beauty like "Ghost Town" and "Winter Is All Over You" but I never really felt that the two Soderbergs were pushing themselves.
All things considered, this is a very pleasant album but it is also a very safe album that feels like it has been designed not to surprise or offend anyone. The sound quality is nothing special and I would guess that it sounds much like the CD would. The quality of the pressing (by GZ in the Czech Republic) was very good and there was no mastering credit given for this vinyl version.