Having recently released her debut album, Plethora, Asplund has garnered the attention of many critics outside of her native Sweden, namely BBC 1’s Gilles Peterson. Peterson’s all-important endorsement has helped her name spread among the tastemaker contingent and subsequently allowed her to reach more listeners. With a sound that could best be described as jazz scat for the electronic age, Asplund utilizes the percussion heavy production styles of people like Daru and Papa Jazz as the basis for her songs.
Among the highlights of her performance were the Gangstarr-sampled “So Good“. Utilizing singing techniques most often attributed to jazz vocalists (namely scatting), Asplund rode the Daru-produced beat while telling a tale of an exquisite love. Although such songs have been sung before, Asplund’s abilities as a performer helped elevate her show. Always animated and rarely following what could be considered conventional singing styles, she made the audience pay attention to her, even causing passers-by of the open-doored BloomBars to stop and take notice. There’s something different about Asplund that can be hard to pinpoint but it’s too attractive to ignore. You have to pay attention to her otherwise you might miss a nuance that will take a song to wherever she’s trying to take it. To top off the gig, she did some improvised vocals over a series of J. Dilla instrumentals and the Mary Jane Girls’ “All Night Long.”
When the night came to an end, two things were clear: it was still ridiculously hot and Kissey Asplund is an artist to watch in the coming years. By being esoteric, but not to Bjork levels, as opposed to your garden variety singer, she’s created enough separation between herself and other performers that it’s hard not to notice her sticking out in the crowd. Hopefully, her offerings to the music world will continue to be listened to with the closeness that is required.
