Beauty Sleep

Following the departure of vocalist Lisa Johannson in 2011, fans of Sweden’s pillar gothic/doom metal act Draconian were left wondering about the future of the outfit. Enter Heike Langhans, formerly of The Great Sleep, to take the helm. The band’s newest, Sovran, surprisingly, sounds like nothing ever slowed them down. It’s an album that, while business as usual for the sextet, demonstrates that a major lineup change has done the band some favors in the way of memorability and songwriting…

It's possible to find through-lines of the new romantic strain of pop throughout this Bill Nelson release, with washes of synthesizer and dance-of-electrocution rhythms going on all over the place, but the true fascination is the mix of a post-ironic tone and a cultured sensitivity to art and beauty. While Nelson puts his guitar chops on display periodically through the album (much of it with E-bow in hand), this is far from being a guitar album - all of the disparate elements are too well-integrated for any to assume a point of focus. There is a sweetness and a lightness to a great deal of the work Nelson put into this album, and this makes it infinitely listenable. In some respects, this is also a record that will teach listeners everything they need to know about Bill Nelson - it touches on all aspects of what he does.