Douglas Heart

Something of an oddity -- though not entirely incongruous -- among Labrador Records' stable of sun-kissed Swedish indie poppers, Douglas Heart pursue a subtler, more subdued form of beauty and sweetness. Though their style has continued to evolve over several incarnations, their defining sound, as heard on their self-titled debut, marries the glacial, spacious swoon of shoegaze with a calm, meditative clarity, gentle country inflections, and a keen melodic sensibility filtered through Malin Dahlberg's distinctively limpid vocals, not unlike Mazzy Star or a humbler, rootsier Si...