Everything Is Music to the Ear

On his 2009 album, Henrik Jonsson aka Porn Sword Tobacco creates a gently enjoyable flow of understated electronic compositions that might be his best work yet — if an open tribute to the power of music as such, then there's nothing wrong with that. So the soft "En Ny Morgon," with its gentle but inspirational piano over a shuffling beat half early Kraftwerk and half late Boards of Canada, isn't too far removed from the demi-exotica of "Cave 4b-50 Clicks Northwest," all quiet slink and weird wigginess. Brief snippets and fragments scattered throughout the album keep things gently varied within the general feeling of piano-led contemplation, while the stylistic experiments often become their own reward. Thus "Havet Är Ärlight" is almost a classic Phil Spector tribute in its beat and understated drama, while "The Lavalife" features an unexpected burst of found-sound jive talking disrupting the soft, sweet Eno-like tones of the peppy piece. An often surprising and sweet little album, it makes for one of 2009's better retro-future electronic efforts.