What does Svaneborg Kardyb sound like?

Smooth grooves and a whirlitzer making beautiful

The review of ‘Superkilen’ by Svaneborg Kardyb

Nikolaj Svaneborg (wurlitzer, juno, piano) and Jonas Kardyb (drums, percussion) are Svaneborg Kardyb. Following on from their fantastic 2023 album ‘Over Tage‘ – the duo return with more instrumental beauties. The jamming duo fit the Gondwana Records vibe perfectly with a melodic mixture of hazy Autuminal lilts and a rustic mixture of folk and jazz ideas.

The title track opens the album as a growing machine of ideas. The whirlitzer is the central melodic instrument on the album, and it is dressed with atmospheric electronics as the drums and percussion grow. Over its six-minute run, we move from gentle pitter-patters to grandstand slow-motion explosions of cymbals with dewy keys and wiry atmospherics. Svaneborg Kardyb manages to sound huge with limited instrumentation, and their jamming, free-flowing nature keeps the scale flexible and easy. That ease shines with the earworm riffs of ‘Cycles’. The brushed percussion and intimate shakers keep the more bombastic elements of the song feeling homely and grounded. The album has a warm, homely production. All the instruments are soft and wooden. Some of the atmospheric effects sound like clothes ruffling, old teaspoons clanging, and clinking pots. ‘St. Pancras’ imbues this Danish folk wholesome energy perfectly with its docile swaying piano melodies.

photo of Svaneborg Kardyb — Svaneborg Kardyb – photo by Martin Baltser

With the album named after a public park in Copenhagen, sometimes you can hear the inspiration of nature in the music, too. From the water sounds in ‘St. Pancras’, we get gentle tumbling stumbles of muffled drums and hazy drone synths with ‘Vakler’. The juxtaposition of the thundering drums and the twirling keys against the slow drones of the keyboards is like a ballet of tumbleweed in the long grass. Clever volume changes keep the rustic drama like a faraway dream most of the time before its extended percussion jamboree outro. The short ‘Balancen’ reminds me of Otograph’s Pixeljunk Monsters soundtrack. The roundest, blobbiest synths gently bubble up like a fairground ride for pixies. If every Svaneborg Kardyb want to write a cosy game soundtrack, this is their resume!

Keeping things cute, ‘Tvillinger’ is all about the tiny things. The piano daintily tinkles without weight to the keys. There are no drums as such. Instead, it’s a track full of percussive noises. Triangles, wooden and fabric scrapes, It is a feast for the ears with headphones on as the sounds trickle in from all sides. Is this jazz-folk ASMR style? Perhaps, but it made me feel like a mouse scurrying around whilst the house owner was out. Things move to a smudged jazzy jam with the sumptuous ‘Tide’. This beautiful track merges together whirlitzer and keyboard into a twilight twinkle of notes. The stuttering roll of the drums gives the track a tentative, unsure curiosity whilst keeping it meditative and hypnotic. It is the most folksy the album becomes, and it’s like a lullaby for a mermaid.

As the album reaches its conclusion, things return to a brushed, rustic domestic dream. ‘Udsigten’ is a catchy, swaying ballet of dual piano motifs and skipping beats. Playful and with its added double bass reminding me of the softest side of Portico Quartet, it is the modern jazz track of the album. ‘Arendal’ then closes the album with the most experimental and bluesy track. After an extended sweeping introduction of glissando whirlitzer curls and echoing scrapes, a stodgy and cinematic beat kicks in. All the keyboards start to warp and melt, sliding down into broken, washed-out bass rumbles that hum under the track itself. Weary, airy, echoey and like a jazzy take on post-rock, the keyboards take flight to create a celestial, psychedelic finale like a northern light display in sound.

‘Superkilen’ is a delicate, understated and intimate album. There are moments of grandeur, but the production is always rustic and personal. I feel like we listened to an album made in a barn with tender love and care – and then it was played that way, too. Svaneborg Kardyb has an effortless flow to their music that is undeniable. They weave keys and drums around each other so dynamically that even the simple moments with short motifs are snake charmers. Rarely do musicians gel in such a natural way, and it’s a joy to hear them create interesting and restorative music like ‘Superkilen’.

Recommended track: Cycles

Support Higher Plain Music

Higher Plain Music is part of the Higher Plain Network – a one-man indie media project. If you like what I do, please consider supporting me via Patreon for as little as $1/£1 a month. In return, you’ll receive additional perks for supporting me, such as behind-the-scenes content and free downloads. You can also donate using PayPal. Sharing the website helps too or using the affiliate buy now links on reviews. I receive a few pence per Amazon sale. All your support will enable me to produce better content, more often. I’d love to make this a full-time media network and your support can make that happen. Thank you.