CORNELIA - ENGINE

(AU magazine September 2008)

(RAMJAC)

For all its affected 'worldliness', there is a constrictive claustrophobia to Cornelia's debut record. Apparently one of Sweden's most sought-after exports, the closed-up beats on Engine beget a strangely deadened, muted sound. Cornelia's dreamy European vowels sink into the sparse rhythms like buttery toast, but despite its technical accomplishments, there lacks a certain substance here that makes the record a real standout. Like that other famous Swedish export, Cornelia's wares come flat and there's seldom anything to hold it all together.