Austrian singer/songwriter Anja Plaschg (Soap&Skin) has been through a lot since her debut album Lovetune for Vacuum was released back in 2009. The sudden death of her father informs a lot of this album, and certainly carries a weight that makes  Narrow a heavy album to experience. Despite that heaviness, The simplistic nature of the music only adds to the experience, and the experience here is a rather unhappy one.

The opener, “Vater” evokes a lot of emotion with just a piano, strings, and lyrics that are in a language that I don’t understand. It’s simplistic and emotional nature is similar to Perfume Genius’ latest Put Your Back N 2 It. It tinges of putting someone to bed, some dark lullaby, in case that person were never to wake. The second track, “Voyage Voyage” is a cover from the band Desireless, only here, Plaschg takes the song and makes it this huge send off, like you’ve just placed two coins on a dead man’s eyes and sent them down the river Styx. “Boat Turns Toward the Port” is almost like a follow up, wishing that person would come back , and samples what sounds like coins being put into a machine.

The album’s only hindrance is the song “Deathmental” which is this industrial freak out of sorts, and tries to rationalize an emotion that that’s perfectly viable. She goes so far to say “stop faking, suffering, like a child” and you get the sense of that emotional struggle that she’s going through. Most have also said that the album is too short, but as a statement of death and depression, the length is perfect. 28 minutes of suffering is nothing compared to the ongoing pain felt afterword.

Soap&Skin may be winner of the award for saddest music of the year, despite that, it’s beautiful, evocative and some of the best music of 2012. Grab some tissues for this one folks, you’re going to need them.

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl

Listening Co-efficient: Active Listen

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