They don’t just have a Gallic name, Je Suis Animal have a slightly 80’s Gallic flair amongst their generic Scandinavian folk flavour. The Oslo quintet's second album is entitled ‘Self Taught Magic From A Book’. Their sound revolves mainly around jangly guitars and rootsy-psychedelic folk with Elin Grimstad’s effortless coo added to the unkempt vibe. Built around this roaming spiritual foundation their albums flows to a fro throughout.
‘The Mystery Of Marie Roget’ their first single from the album propels you into an eerie folky Stone Roses-like watered down keyboard-ridden hippy-pop journey. What Je Suis Animal do create quite profoundly is fusing folk and pop resoundingly well, just lack any real notable quality lyrical content. ‘Beginning Of Time’ is a roots of the earth psychedelic folk lovers dream. They are built for Sunday afternoon Glastonbury slots and alike, yet a little hard to take seriously at times.
‘Indifferent Boy’ is a mystic story telling sounding otherworldly piece, which no doubt would sound so much more at home live than laid down on record. It drifts completely out of the realms of reality with it’s Vaselines-esque dream-gazing and Je Suis Animal‘s influences start to become apparent. The band have labelled themselves as unique but they really aren’t that unique. Take ‘Rosseau World’ for instance their best effort in this album by far. Yet this is as near to the angelic Laura Marling’s exquisite ‘Cross Your Finger’s’ as your likely to come across.
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‘Hotel Electrique’ voyage of poppy organ-invoked and flowing stream of glittering musical enchantment is where the band bring this album alive. A turning point in the album that makes you start to believe. And then before you know it, it loses it’s way with the haunting ‘Indoors Of Outdoors’. It carries on its turn of oddity and grit at the start of ‘It’s Love’ Grimstad’s vocals remit like a mutant of Kristeen Young and Kate Bush. In ‘Across The Line’ Grimstad sings ‘Nothing evolves/Thing’s just repeat’ and sadly that is what happens to the tail end of this record.
It can be hard to consume at times this album and then it will hit you with a track like ‘Rousseau World’ or ’Hotel Electrique’ and the quandary is why can’t the rest of the album follow that blueprint? It’s Scandinavian spirit burns bright in this pastoral folk epic journey. However, whether you can last the longevity of this journey without blowing the candle out is up for debate?
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