Track-by-Track: Eva & The Heartmaker - Dominoes

Despite releasing a couple of albums in their native Norway, Eva & The Heartmaker have seemed to come out of nowhere with their new, poppier sound. Dominoes is a short album, but it more than makes up for that in quality..

1. Dominoes - A stunning opening, this is perched halfway between the band's electro and rock sides. It actually reminds me of the Cardigans. It's very late-90's radio pop, which is a very good thing. This has got to be a single in the future. Great lyrics, too. 10/10

2. Signals - The song that interested me in the first place. It's not the kind that hits you over the head on the first lesson, but this is one of the best, most laidback synth-pop tracks of the year. The chorus is pure bliss. 10/10

3. Not Alone - A more dance-influenced track, though with a somewhat downtempo feeling. It's not as strong as the previous two tracks, but still very good. It's got a very powerful (if not single-worthy) chorus. 8/10

4. Gone In A Flash - This just floored me the first time I heard it. It begins with a spot-on "The Way You Make Me Feel" groove, then come the 80's synths, followed by a huge melody. And then, three quarters of the way through, we get a brilliant guitar solo. Yes! 10/10

5. Ghosts In The Sky - And now we enter the more melancholy singer-songwriter portion of the album. This is quite a shift from the last track. It keeps the synths, but it's within a completely different framework. This is a slowly building indie track with a nice payoff in the chorus. Still, not my favorite. 7/10

6. Twenty-Four Something - Full-on singer-songwriter, coffeehouse mode here. It's pretty, and meaningful, but not incredibly enjoyable. It completes the weakest phase of the album. 7/10

7. Mr. Tokyo - Their first single from the album, it's a breezy synthy number that I've grown to like, though it didn't hit me instnatly. Not as good as the other singles, but very close. 9/10

8. Mysterious Ways - Not a U2 cover. It's back to the delicate singer-songwriter sound, but this is a lot stronger than the previous efforts. It's got a beautiful refrain. 8/10

Album Grade: 8.6/10