Svaneborg Kardyb – At Home (An NPR Tiny Desk Concert) Review

What does Svaneborg Kardyb sound like?

A dreamy Wurlitzer, synth, piano and percussion duo.

The review of Svaneborg Kardyb – At Home (AN NPR Tiny Desk Concert)

Recorded in the countryside of Djursland, Denmark which inspired their second album ‘Haven’, duo Svaneborg Kardyb recorded their NPR Tiny Desk concert. With the At Home format becoming a way to keep the Tiny Desk concert spirit alive during the pandemic, this intimate and relaxed home performance shows off the duos’ craft and interplay.

Across four tracks seamlessly transitioning from one to another, we are treated to Nikolaj’s effortless fingerwork on the keys and Jonas’ rhythmic prowess. They face each other on stage and do so here and I think it’s to bring an element of jamming to each recording. Whilst the structure of songs is largely unchanged, it feels like by facing each other you can riff easily from each other’s mood and change the heaviness of the beats or keys as a result.

The sumptuous Wurlitzer is the main sound palette here from the breezy opener ‘Haven’, through to the intricate cascading keys and smudged beauty of ‘Et Lite Øyeblikk Bare’. The percussion stays largely quite muted with its rustic wooden approach early on. ‘Orbit’ is punchier with wooden blocks and shakers giving a bolder spine to the swaying melodies of echoing keys. The swirling orbit of the main melody also feels faster and slightly more furious. It’s quite cinematic and the stand out of the EP as it’s fundamentally quite different to the original. Closing track ‘Terrassed​ø​r’ moves from whurly and synths to a piano for a romantic and longing jazzy up-tempo waltz.

Whilst the performance is beautiful, it runs quite close to the original recordings for a few of the songs. Fans of Svaneborg Kardyb should grab this expressive and beautiful performance. Fans of piano and electric piano-based instrumental music that is rich in melody and rhythm – you are in for a treat. This is a great place to start. It gives a good cross-section of their three albums and you’ll feel relaxed and wholesome by the final brush strokes.

Recommended track: Orbit

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