Heavy piano chords, strong female vocals, sweeping arrangements and good melodies – that’s a fairly accurate summary of Great Northern’s second album, Remind Me Where The Light Is. Of course there’s more to it than that, but let’s start out with the positive: though the duo share vocal duties, Rachel Stolte stands for the majority of the singing. Her voice manages to be frail and strong at the same time, which is a curious combination. Solon Bixler is by no means a lesser singer, but it’s Stolte’s voice that stands out.

While the last half of the album is rather bland at times, there are several strong moments during the first half: “Houses” and “Fingers” for instance, sound like they were made for the alternative radio hit list, along with “Snakes”, opening track “Story” and the beautiful ballad “Stop” where Bixler takes the vocal lead. But the closer we get towards the end, the more the songs sound like repeats of a calculated formula consisting of over-production rather than creativity. Because that’s really my main complaint about this album – it’s often a bit too polished around the edges, leaving it sounding impersonal even during the better moments.

~ “Houses” ~