Tobias Hellkvist's impressive debut, Transports, slipped under the radar last year, but if there is any justice in the universe, the same fate will not be bestowed upon sophomore Sides. The new album is a soothing mix of experimental ambience and sensuous pop -- the first half dazzles the audience with a focus on melody and progression, and the second half peels off the layers like the most dedicated Touch release to give a minimal work where subtlety and tones are the new stars. Even through all the diversity in the disc, Hellkvist manages to make it all look like a natural evolution of his sound; the young Swede plays a risky game in putting these different halves on the same album, but expertly unfies them into a brillant whole. Sides comes highly recommend.