by Heather Phares
Bows' debut album Blush mixes moody trip-hop and jungle rhythms with guitars, orchestral arrangements, and the contrasting vocals of Signe Høirup Wille-Jørgensen and Luke Sutherland. Wille-Jørgensen's soaring soprano gives songs like "Big Wings" and "Overfor Kommer" an ethereal, icy sheen, while Sutherland-led tracks like "Blush" and "Troy Polenta's Big Break" have an earthier, jazzier vibe. Primarily instrumental pieces such as "It'll Be Halftime in England Soon" and "Sleepyhead" continue the dark, arty feel of the album by breaking symphonic washes of sound with dance rhythms. While Bows is certainly a departure from Sutherland's post-rock experiments in Long Fin Killie (though Blush's poetic lyrics and song titles bear his literate touch), the group comes a few years after trip-hop's heyday and entrance into the mainstream, dulling Blush's cutting edge. Though it is a solid debut, Sutherland's pedigree as a pioneering writer and musician leaves one expecting more from the album.