Choir Of Young Believers – Rhine Gold

There are countless bands who have shrunk under the weight of expectations surrounding their second release, churning out tepid, watered-down versions of the songs that garnered them attention in the first place. Denmark’s Choir Of Young Believers, have gone down the opposite route on Rhine Gold, delivering a highly ambitious, expansive record that is a bold step beyond the symphonic pop that permeated their striking debut. And while there are moments where Choir mastermind Jannis Noya Makrigiannis’ reach exceeds his grasp, you have to respect his grand aspirations even if they occasionally sound adrift; because when he gets it right, as he does on the majority of Rhine Gold, the results are quite often stunning and glorious.

The record certainly takes its sweet time catching fire, as the sprawling opening track ‘The Third Time’ gradually opens up after several minutes of atmospheric, hymn-like chanting by Makrigiannis over a haunting Middle Eastern melody. It sets an appropriate mood for the rather ornate album, and those listeners who have a hard time getting through the opaque 7+ minute lead-off track should probably listen to something else, because the broadness of COYB’s approach is a constant throughout the album. After such an inventive, challenging opener, the straightforward pop and tepid scope of the second number, ‘Patricia’s Thirst,’ is quite disappointing, and, at just 2 and a half minutes, it seems and sounds like a throwaway track, especially on an album filled with lengthy, exploratory songs.

Thankfully, that just proves to be a temporary misstep, and the album is righted by its strong middle section, composed of the hypnotic, expansive pulse of ‘Sedated’ and the Krautrock churn of ‘Paralyze,’ which both take the listener on a boundless journey that is both innovative and ultimately irresistible. These two experimental tracks emphatically represent the daring sonic risks that Makrigiannis and his talented cohorts have been willing to take on their new songs, and the brazen confidence and willful unconventionality of the material imbues the album with a fresh spirit and edgy tone.

‘Have I Ever Truly Been Here’ is a deeply evocative number that is augmented by sweeping strings and a mournful piano strain which helps carry Makrigiannis’ plaintive vocals to tender heights. The band returns to its more traditional pop leanings on ‘Nye Nummber Et’, which succeeds where ‘Patricia’s Thirst’ didn’t simply because there is far more depth and flavour to the track, and its rousing chorus and theatrical, New Wave melody both soar. The unabashed but somewhat absurd lyrics featured in ‘Paint New Horrors’ (“Girl I want to give it to you”) wouldn’t work under less assured hands, but flourish here due to the daring, lush arrangements which give the listener something grand to focus on other than the vocals.

The record winds down elegantly with the disconsolate orchestration of ‘The Wind Is Blowing Needles,’ reminiscent of Doves’ more downtempo, forlorn moments, and the dramatic minimalism of the title track, which suggests that this journey we’ve been on together might have just lead us to the true ends of the earth (or some molten-laden depths deep inside of it). While the challenging, somewhat elusive nature of Rhine Gold might not be for everyone, Choir Of Young Believers clearly didn’t play it safe this time round, and in the process have created an intrepid new album that becomes more poignant and edifying with each listen.