Nephesh

The Norwegian trio Pride & Fall, consisting of singer Sigve Monsen, keyboardist Per Waagen, and guitarist Svien Joar Auglaend Johnsen, is a new band with a relatively old sound. Their beats are generally brisk and club-friendly, characterized by the house-derived four-on-the-floor thud that was a defining feature of 1980s industrial music, but without the oppressively dystopian ambience or coy fascist imagery of that period. Not that these guys are exactly the Everly Brothers, but you do get the sense that it would probably be OK if they saw you smiling while you dance. All of the songs are good, and some are very good: "Construct" actually features a triple meter, something of a rarity with this style of music, and "Matriarch" and "Serenade of Dreams" are both thoroughly pleasant and texturally complex instrumentals. The hidden track at the very end is a gentle, orchestral-sounding meditation that deserved to be fleshed out a bit and included in the explicit program. The band has some room to grow, but this is a promising debut.