Northern Portrait: The Fallen Aristocracy

Northern Portrait
The Fallen Aristocracy
Matinee Recordings
2008-04-01

If you enjoy smart Australian pop or a group like The Smiths, then you’ll love Northern Portrait. Not that they’re British or even Australian, in fact they’re from Denmark. But they have an ear for catchy, jangle-y melodies that are aplenty such as during the gorgeous “Crazy” — which also resembles The Go-Betweens to a certain extent. At the same time, the equally punchy and well-crafted “A Quiet Night in Copenhagen” shines and is a real stunning piece of work. The only snag with this effort overall is it’s just too damn short at four songs and just over 10 glorious minutes. If you need more proof of this beauty then give “Waiting for a Chance” a spin or two, a nugget along the lines of Crowded House or Morrissey. The chipper closer and the title track, “The Fallen Aristocracy”, sounds like something Robert Smith concocted à la “Friday I’m In Love”.

RATING 8 / 10