Review Summary: A warm descent into the dark corners of the human mind.
Swedish musical talent Nicole Sabouné made her debut in Swedish TV version of "The Voice", gaining the necessary attention to sign a record deal that would materialize in the shape of "Must Exist" in 2014, a dark album with plenty of 80s call-backs that showcased the power of Nicole's voice for her fellow folk to witness.
"Miman", her second full-length was originally released in 2015 by independent record label Whoa Dad! in Sweden and it would have stayed a national release as her debut but, thanks to some avid scout out there, here we have a new re-edition of "Miman", this time under the gigantic wing of Century Media Records.
Swedish poet Harry Martinson wrote back in 1956 a science fiction poem called "Aniara", from where "Miman" seems to take an inspirational theme: the descent into madness of the human mind. As the space-ship crew that stars in “Aniara” whose only anchor to reality is a mystical AI called the "Mima" that feeds them with memories linked to art and their previous lives, Nicole paints a spiral down the rabbit hole of consciousness and artistic self-awareness that so frequently leads to the most obscure corners of an artist's spirit. In contrast, the album emanates warmth and a sense of comfort regardless of its latent somber nature. Opening with the upbeat dark folk chant of "The Body", Nicole wrecks through the first notes with an impressive torrent of voice, confident and strong, following with the haunting melodies of "Right Track" and the desperation that breaches through "Bleeding Faster", according to Sabouné, the most representative track of the album and the guiding light that made possible the rest of “Miman”.
A brief respite comes with "Under Stars (For the Lovers)", touching the same strings as stablished dark divas like Chelsea Wolfe or Marissa Nadler, with beautiful and unforgiving melodies backed by a superb instrumentation and carefully brewed production. "Rip This World” resumes the incursion into the shadows of the mind with hammering and infecting keys, while the glorious chorus of "We Are No Losers" prevents the album for having not a single moment of weakness, and forming a coherent and consistent theme until the very end.
Instead of adding up to the increasing number of daughters of the abyss populating the musical European scene these days, Nicole Sabouné finds her own space and delivers an outstanding album, closing with a brave rendition to Madonna's "Frozen", a track that surprisingly fits the whole ambience of "Miman" like it was meant to be made by Nicole herself.
Nicole Sabouné opens up 2017 with a strong collection of sounds under the veil, an album that will warm your heart in this dying but still-beating winter.
