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Ok, POV. You’re a bloke who’s making really nice and unique songs, clearly well thought out and well put together, you released an album, far from your first, things should be going well, you should be getting more traffic, what do you do? You maintain anonymity, go with a name that search engines cannot fathom, and send your music to guys half a world away to scrutinize. Meet (((S))).

(((S))) is a Dane from Copenhagen with a sleepy voice and an immense songwriting talent. A one-man band, he’s been doing this for 15 years, with his first full-length album dropping in 2007. 7 albums later, Maverick is today’s centerpiece. A collection of 10 songs that boast a huge personality, and a huge sound. Lush with reverb, and rich with entertaining guitars, a full-sounding, tight rhythm section, and neat musical ideas that show up on every single song. This album is full to the brim or entertaining and beautifully produced music. Perhaps a little hard to classify, the umbrella term “Alt-Rock” could be where it lands, if it ever needed to land.

The songs vary greatly in sound and direction. While some are quirky and curious, others are direct and grounded. Sparks of Rock, Blues, and Pop steadily show up across the runtime. Not to say, however, that this album lacks direction, quite the opposite in fact, it’s a cohesive and a mature listen from start to finish. Things kick off with Big Black Beautiful Bird. A dark and massive double (or tripled) tracked riff drenched in reverb dominates the sound after a dense and quite intriguing short intro. The bass riff is meaty, and the drums sound roomy. The singing is nearly illegible, but the effects are carried out in a dedicated way, making this setback a mere trifle, who needs the lyrics if the sound is this engaging. Nighttrain To Nowhere is completely different, but kind of the same. An upbeat riff lends itself to a more Punk kind of vibe, with a tight bass and drums groove, and slightly more controlled and toned-down reverb. The synth lead, in the end, is also pretty epic. A bop! The Lead Single ‘Mama, Do You Think It’s Gonna Rain All Day’ is one more optimistic cut, with melodies and chords in major and a production that remains true to the reverb-y formula while begging to be more Pop. A little sparser in musical ideas, with fewer counterpoints and sonic adventures, it is “Lead Single” directness and intention all the way. Ballet Of the Wolves is one of my favorites in the tracklist. Maybe it’s the illusive clean guitar with a massive tremolo that gets in and out of sight through the gaps in the clouds. It is a mythical flight, soaring, expansive, and eye-opening.

Sometimes It Takes Someone Like You is a love song. Watch an anonymous Dane claiming the whole Love Song concept and making it entirely his. With a gigantic driving sound, open grooves, and thick, thick guitars playing power chords. It’s a direct and honest, but rather personal and unique twist on the love song. Dreams Die, But You Don’t is a bluesy cut. Guitar-driven, with many different neat musical ideas. It’s astonishing how much can be achieved in such little time. Time Is A Thief goes in a Garage-y direction. Very entertaining, with prominent bass and tight grooves. The closing number, ‘Touch My Heart, Touch My Soul’, features a repeating chord idea that lends a repeating gospel sound to the song. Subtle, understated, with simple beats and spaced-out vocal phrases, it’s a graceful closer to such a free-spirited album.

(((S))) presents a really shoddy business model. If you make music this beautiful, it should be a priority to at least spread it as far as possible, to as many ears as possible. Shun the spotlight and despise fame all you want, but get this music heard and played. Of course, we’re not here to give advice; (((S))) has been at it for a decade and a half, so he’s pretty much set in his ways. We are just grateful that he’s around, making sounds as free as these, and we hope he stays and does the same for many decades to come.