Reviews: Six Billion Voices (Metica.se)

Points: 7

Those who have been following the evolution of Vacuum and who enjoyed their last album, Your Whole Life is Leading Up to This, won't be disappointed with the new single from this duo.

"Six Billion Voices" is, in many aspects, a typical Vacuum ballad. Swelling strings, Mattias Lindblom's powerful vocals and that special, melancholic quality that is found even in their more dance-oriented songs, make up the very core of Vacuum's symphonic sound. And in the middle of all these delicate components, all of them tuned in the minor key, there is a raw power which I think will place "Six Billion Voices" on a lot of playlists in a near future. At least I hope it will.

Another sympathetic fact is that the single has a political message, or rather one of compassion. This is evident in both form as well as in content and in the link to the organization Make Poverty History. There is often more to Vacuum's lyrics and music than what might be immediately apparent, and that is the case for this single as well. Such qualities are worth encouraging in a world of far too many oh-ah-just-a-little-bit-more lyrics.

The B side "Preview" is even more laid back, and maybe not as accessible as the title song. But I like it. Or maybe that is exactly the reason why I like it. The way I see it, this song has no hit ambitions. It is just allowed to exist on its own. And that is good enough for me.

Writer: Tina Arwidson
Special thanks to David Haglund for translation.