For her second album,
The Space Between
,
Alice Boman
returns to and slightly expands upon the sparse, intimate atmospheres of her debut LP while keeping volumes low and vocal performances whispery and close to the mike. It was produced by prior collaborator
Patrik Berger
. The broader palette is introduced gradually on the opening song, wispy piano-keyboard ballad "Honey" ("It takes time to open up"), which adds what sounds like synthesized saxophone, muted electronic drums, and increased shimmer as the track progresses. It's one of several tracks that leaves in the sound of piano pedals being engaged or released. That song leads into the spacey "Feels Like a Dream," a duet with
Perfume Genius
that develops into a full-band arrangement with vibrating bass. (On writing the song,
Boman
noted that she had songs about heartbreak and disappointment but wanted to challenge herself to write a love song.) Third track "Maybe" maintains relative complexity with layers of spongy keyboard tones and electronics alongside piano, light guitar, and a more syncopated drum pattern. While still ethereal throughout, she adds organ voices and high-pitched bell tones to the mix on the affectionate "Night and Day," and
closes on the hypnotic "Space," whose repeated musical and lyrical phrases seem to drift over and then out to sea on thoughts like, "The fear of losing/Is growing again, again." The closest thing here to a track that one could imagine being played through speakers instead of headphones is "Where to Put the Pain," which fashions a skittering ambient pop still very much in line with the rest of the album's design, for a set that's very unlikely to disappoint established fans. ~ Marcy Donelson