Tomas Barfod's sophomore solo album, 2014's
Love Me, is an atmospheric, introspective work much in the same vein as his 2012 debut,
Salton Sea. Starting out as a percussionist,
Barfod has built a varied career experimenting across genres as a DJ, producer, and drummer with his trio
WhoMadeWho featuring guitarist
Jeppe Kjellberg and bassist
Tomas Hoffding (both of whom appear on
Love Me). Given his eclectic resume, it should come as no surprise that
Love Me, while being a primarily electronic endeavor, retains a deeply organic aesthetic. Just as with
Salton Sea, one would be hard-pressed to call
Barfod's recordings dance music, although he is certainly informed by club, rave, and EDM aesthetics. At his core,
Barfod is a drummer and even when he is at his most ruminative, which is most of the time on
Love Me, he retains a drummer's sense of groove. To these ends, the exotic "Honey," featuring vocals by
Sleep Party People, and "Blue Matter," with
Kjellberg, are pulsing, layered, even somewhat ominous-sounding cuts. Elsewhere,
Barfod is joined by singers
Luke Temple and
Nina Kinert for a handful of moody, cinematic cuts, including the epic "Bell House," the '80s new wave-sounding "Busy Baby," and the languid, orchestral-tinged "Aftermath." Also interesting are the two instrumental tracks, "Destiny's Child" and "Mandalay," which bring to mind the '70s and '80s synthesizer compositions of artists like
Laurie Spiegel and
Giorgio Moroder. Ultimately, with
Love Me,
Barfod has crafted an album of highly engaging, emotionally resonant pop music that's as creatively rewarding as it is accessible. ~ Matt Collar
![Bones [Original TV Soundtrack]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0067003116428_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Bones [Original TV Soundtrack]")
