Oh hot damn. This is my jam. Those were the first words, verbatim, to escape my lips after listening to the first track, "In The Morning", off First Aid Kit’s new album, The Big Black and The Blue. Just ask the former occupants of the 11:15 AMTRAK train #6 to Tahoe, compartment 8b. Regardless of what my fellow passengers may have heard me exclaim in reference to the puzzle-piece perfect bit of music, however appropriate it may have been in describing my excitement for and quality of that music; it was only I that heard the lamenting, vaguely Appalachian vocal tides that rise and fall in tandem with the listeners emotions; it was only I that was stung by that electric-blue bee of excitement while sitting in that faceless, hard plastic seat; and it was only I that was given the task of convincing you to listen to it in 800-1000 words, a task which, after listening to this album, seems a fairly easy feat.

On their debut LP, The Big Black and The Blue, the Swedish Söderberg sisters, Klara & Johanna, have burst confidently into the indie-folk scene with their sanguine arrangements of guitar, autoharp, spare percussion and piano. Best known for their cover of Fleet Foxes’ “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” on their first EP, Drunken Trees, with this album, First Aid Kit has with eloquently directed passion, solidified the hints of direction laid down in Drunken Trees, and stepped onto the stage of the folk music theater as a pair of convincing, engaging actresses, complete with definite roles and more to offer than just the run of the mill folksy meanderings. Springing from, and always returning to the Söderberg sisters’ vocal harmonies, each song is constructed around the sisters’ voices, which both effortlessly glide from the breathiest lofts, to the most robust lows without a break or misstep in the rolling melody. The most impressive part of Klara & Johanna’s singing however, is not simply the range they wield, but the deftness with which they wield it. While most Swedish folk singing sisters would be taking risks with such hills and valleys in their cadence and tone while singing, it is abundantly clear while listening to First Aid Kit that all octaves they visit are well within their lackadaisical reach, begging the question, where will they go next with such innate talent?

That being said, such a powerful driving force would be for naught without something to be driven, or in this case, sung. Luckily, in this aspect, once again, First Aid Kit does not disappoint. The lyrics’ story-like qualities move the songs away from a sense arbitrary, lyrics-for-lyrics-sake songwriting. Instead, each song is a novella, with characters and a particular message being conveyed. My personal favorite example of this is “Heavy Storm,” a track dominated by low, finger picked guitar and that lyrical story-telling which makes Klara & Johanna’s velveteen voices so effective. After a warm, ponderous guitar intro by Klara, the tale begins, and the sisters regale us with wishes that they could “believe in something bigger / more than these trees, these winds, these oceans,” and memories that “he used play an detuned guitar while he sang about me / and he sang about the stars / I used to dream about another time / and now it’s all clear that’s the only time I wish that would come back.” Backed with the power of both sisters’ voices, and the unerring finger picked guitar, the song continues in this melancholic fashion, reminiscing of a time and place unbeknownst to the listener, yet all the more powerful for it.

Then there’s “A Waltz For Richard,” a ballad in every sense of the word. Yearning and lilting, the song is similar to “Heavy Storm” in lyrical structure: this song also tells a story, if a more linear one. “On our last trip to the coast / we watched the boats sail the sea / how effortlessly they float / you turned and said to me.” The backing track as well, is nearly identical to “Heavy Storm,” knitted of only tightly woven finger picking, providing a backboard for the waves of wistful vocals to break against, over and over again. In fact, the two songs, when broken down to the most basic of levels are, despite the homogeneous nature of the album in general, nearly identical; and while for most albums this would be a problem, by some sleight of hand still not understood by myself, First Aid Kit turns this to it’s advantage. Considering the simple song construction in general, these songs have no business being so full sounding, so catchy, and so damn good, yet, despite all evidence to the contrary they still are.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the basic song structure being quite similar for many of the songs in their debut album, The Big Black and The Blue, the Söderberg sisters have managed to create an intimately original collection of folk songs that will carve their name into the landscape of the indie music world. Professing on their website that they “aim for the hearts, not the charts,” they do just that and more. An emotionally visceral, yet ultimately relaxing album, The Big Black and The Blue will not only tenderly grab ahold of all those who listen, but may also, despite their suggestions to the contrary, very well make it onto more than a few charts, comparatively speaking. Now, with 947 of my 1000 available words used up, I sincerely hope that I have paid homage to this outstanding album, and convinced you to go out and buy a copy when it’s released. Because if not, both you and I will have made a mistake; in short, give it a listen, you’ll love it.

Track List:
1. In The Morning (2:36)
2. Hard Believer (3:41)
3. Sailor Song (2:44)
4. Waltz For Richard (2:49)
5. Heavy Storm (3:22)
6. Ghost Town (4:47)
7. Josefin (3:32)
8. A Window Opens (4:21)
9. Winter Is All Over You (3:40)
10. I Met Up With The King (2:49)
11. Wills Of The River (4:19)