First Aid Kit - The Big Black And The Blue
An oasis of calm and beauty in a trauma stricken world.
'The Big Black And The Blue' is the full length debut from the Swedish sisters and the follow up to their well received 'Drunken Trees' EP. Whilst First Aid Kit's vocals have more of an American feel than an extra large serving of pumpkin pie, the lyrics powerfully evoke their homeland with tales of seafarers, mountains and walking in the snow. It’s not all flowers and roses though as the theme of struggle is integral to this collection of songs. 'A Window Opens' hinges on the tension between going through the motions of tradition and routine but wanting deep down to escape whilst 'Josefin' is the tale of someone fighting their inner demons whilst refusing to let anyone see the true state of her soul.
The way in which the passing of the seasons are referenced in relation to the different stages of loneliness following the departure of a lover in the heart wrenching 'Winter Is All Over You' is astonishingly mature. The same lyrical dexterity is also very much in evidence through the simple but soul warming 'Waltz For Richard' which houses the elegantly confessional lyric “how I wanted to tell you but I was hushed by my shame”.
When they shift the tempo up a gear on 'Sailor Song' it’s like a caged bird set free, a rapturous upbeat country strum which starts off with what sounds decidedly like somebody scraping a washboard before the song proper is counted down in Swedish and the party begins. 'Ghost Town' is the real hairs on the back of the neck moment though, built around a church organ backing, plaintive lyrics and cautiously plucked guitar, it’s a fitting centrepiece to a wonderful record.
'The Big Black And The Blue' is an oasis of calm and beauty in a trauma stricken world. The songs may at times be simple but they are bursting with intricacies and when you discover they are the work of a duo living their teenage years it screams potential like a giant neon sign in utter darkness.
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