Cold Mailman
Relax; the Mountain Will Come to You
Kråkesølv / Diger

Originally hailing from Bodø (located just above the Arctic circle), now based in Oslo, young band Cold Mailman put out their third album, Relax; the Mountain Will Come to You in early October. First time heard I Cold Mailman was with the two Oslo compilations, with tracks which left me wanting to hear more.

Cold Mailman collects members of bands like Lukestar, Kollwitz (another Bodø band, of the post-rock genre) and the defunct The Spectacle (yes, yet another Bodø band, from the punk/hardcore bag), but chief mailman is songwriter, Ivar Bowitz (vocals, guitar, bass). He started a solo-project and did most things himself on the debut, Finally Succumbs to Exhaustion (2006). The second platter, How to Escape Cause and Effect (2008) presented a full band. When listening through Relax; ..., Bowitz stands out as a skilled song-smith. Cold Mailman play soft indiepop, with dashes of melancholia. Not very far away from The Notwist in later years. Or, maybe not far from another Bodø band, Kråkesølv (a band Bowitz has mixed) - who had their breakthrough last year - except they sing in Norwegian, and have got a somewhat more whimsical style. Cold Mailman are more dead serious, with gloomy moods and lugubrious chills - but, mind you, not all done without humour. Happy tristesse, sort of.

I find Relax; the Mountain Will Come to You to be a bit too long-stretched, even though here are some very fine songs put in here. Sorry but I am of the type preferring albums (with a few exceptions) to be no longer than 40 minutes. Of the key tracks on Relax; ... I'd say the very fine "Pull Yourself Together And Fall In Love With Me", the 'title track' "Fatal Conversation", and the somewhat epic/monumental "Katarina". There are other little charmers or touching songs sneaking around the corners, such as "Petra Pan", "Salva Me" or "The End of the Day", lifting this album to a solid piece of work.

Copyright © 2010 Håvard Oppøyen