Check Please
When someone usually mentions dinner, one may think of the meal most commonly enjoyed in the evening. This Dinner on the other hand, is the musical brainchild of Danish musician Anders Rhedin. Recently, Rhedin released his debut album Psychic Lovers. A record with unconventional vocals and lyrics, but ultimately, a record that once halfway through fails to enthrall its listener and quickly becomes something that one unfortunately, forgets about.
His sound, in the simplest terms, is that of dancey 80s pop, a genre that has so many musicians flocking to it in this current musical generation. He is keeping up with the rest of the pop music world by hearkening back to a more nostalgic time and incorporating drum machines and bellowing out over synth heavy songs. While this record should be applauded for its experimental twist on generic 80s sounding music, it should not be praised, but that does not mean that it should be entirely written off.
At the start of the record, one picks up on the bizarre quality it possesses in the form of Rhedin’s voice. The best way to describe his voice is like a grumble coming from deep inside the cavernous body of a whale. It sounds at first, like the singing is done purposefully and as if it will return to a sound someone might not have nightmares about. His voice and the peculiar vocal pyrotechnics are certainly one aspect of this album that allows the listener to have a sort of immediate reaction to it. You either love it or hate it. Very rarely is it possible for someone to immediately understand every nuance and triumph or failure on a record. For some reason, however, when Rhedin begins singing on “Cool As Ice” the listener may question whether or not this is a joke or if Rhedin is serious. Through this questioning one decides right then and there if it is worth it to continue to listen to the record or would it be better if it was laid to rest.
Simply out of curiosity, one must continue to listen and through this continuation, after wading through the obvious obscurity of the vocals, one discovers eccentric lyrics and an eagerness that is lost on so many musicians today. His whale singing paired with eccentric lyrics like on the song “Turn Me On” where he sings, “Any day now/Any day now/Something is going to turn me on” or the hypnotic repetition in “What You Got” (arguably the best song on the record) spark a form of enjoyment.
Although, it may be frightening when one first begins the record, it is important to commit to listening to it entirely and following through on this unusual journey with Dinner. One will discover outlandish lyrics paired with an even more outlandish singing voice. Even though one may be unnerved at the end, the listener will no doubt forget about the record and eventually retire it in the dusty, cluttered spaces of one’s mind.
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