Acres Wild
Ignore the Flags on the Beaches
Minitravolta

Long time LK HQ favourites Acres Wild just released their debut long-player, Ignore the Flags on the Beaches. Once more bandleader, singer, songwriter and lyricist Magnus Askjer Lefsaker, his wingman; guitar player, co-writer, and singer Simen Følstad Nilsen (who just released a long player with his duo project Aiming For Enrike as well, Segway Nation!) and the rest of the band (bass player Even Andenæs; drummer Mads Frøystadvåg Skovdahl; keyboardist Espen Skretteberg) has launched a fine collection of jangly pop songs. Soon it's summer here, kids! Summer, babe!

Ignore the Flags on the Beaches kicks off with the 'title track', as the line '...ignore the flags on the beaches' appears in "Map of Lake Victoria", which holds guitar lines and accompaniment (slightly) reminding me of the superb Kiwi pop band The Bats. The album's second track is one of the best, as the excellent "Pastel Waves" oozes with discreet Brian Wilson/Beach Boys melodic lines and loads of pop bliss (bands such as The Dears and Death Cab for Cutie come to mind, at least for a few seconds now and again). It is a shame that this song 'disappeared' from the streaming distributors (Tidal, Spotify) when the album was premiered, but it was quickly re-found and re-launched with the rest of the songs. Next up is the single choice "Line of Sight" and another 'shamelessly' catchy popper, "50 Second Run". Følstad Nilsen's neat, short and slightly noisy instrumental "Drops" is a fine break midway through the album, before the pop songs keeps popping up and on - further on and on.

"Dowsing" is another standout track, as is "Myths and Facts About Sleep". I like it when they experiment a bit, going slightly off 'piste'. Then comes the fine album closer "Prophecies of Skeeter Davis" (the main track from last year's, well late 2014's The Prophecies of Skeeter Davis EP). Acres Wild steps up as an excellent pop band, with Magnus (and Simen) being gifted songwriters, and with Simen (again) proving his eminent guitar skills. Ignore the Flags on the Beaches was recorded with Sjur Lyseid (The Little Hands Of Asphalt) in his Six Feet Over Studios, in Oslo, with Lyseid stepping in on guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals. This is an album to keep company with all through the upcoming summer and further on...

Copyright © 2016 H. Oppøyen