Foreign Land

Reseña de álbum

Christina Rosenvinge's second solo album was released after Dean Wareham announced the breakup of Luna, and a dedicated fan of this style of stylishly enervated Velvet Underground-influenced dream pop could almost think that the Spanish-Danish singer/songwriter had decided to pick up exactly where that band had left off. The eight songs on Foreign Land are beautifully hushed, with Rosenvinge's softly accented vocals (think Laetitia Sadier, not Nico) set against downtown New York art rock/pop all-stars including Smells Like label head Steve Shelley, Lee Ranaldo and guitarist Smokey Hormel, who adds a whiskey-soaked guest vocal to the moody "Submission." Other highlights include the spooky "Dream Room," which features overdubbed counterpoint vocals over an almost tribal, hypnotic tom-tom rhythm from Shelley, and the uncharacteristically poppy "King Size," which recalls Barbara Manning's skewed alt rock. A stronger album overall than her solo debut Frozen Pool, Foreign Land is stylish but not shallow and wispy without succumbing to twee-ness.