First Aid Kit - Sailor Song

Label: Jagadamba Release Date: 12/07/10 Link: Myspace Page It takes only a second for the beautiful voice of Klara Söderberg to send a shiver through your skin. Her angelic tones at the beginning of this track come almost as a blow to the chest and then continue to delight as she weaves some pretty harmonies with her sister, and only other First Aid Kit member, Johanna. However, and previous 405 reviews of the girls tell me to brace myself for pitchforks, these vocals are really the most remarkable thing about the single. Elsewhere, 'Sailor Song' sounds pretty much like your standard jaunty Americana tune. That's not to say that it isn't pleasant, the cheerful strums of guitar and autoharp completely refute such a view, or well crafted; First Aid Kit certainly do folk well. It's just a shame that these sisters from Stockholm haven't brought a touch of their own country (Apart from counting to four in Swedish) to their influences, such as Conor Oberst and Buffy Sainte-Marie, to make things a bit more unique. Of course, this is just one single from their debut album, The Big Black and The Blue, so perhaps there's more of that sort to be found on there. If you just plain love folk, which I admittedly don't, then this will be a solid and endearing purchase for you. Otherwise, that first second may well be all you need to hear.