Absynthe Minded

Belgian band Absynthe Minded haven’t had quite the same success in France as they have back home, but they’re well worth checking out for their laid back sound, somewhere between ’70s Dylan and the excellent J. J. Cale. The modern folk orchestrations use catchy acoustic riffs around a double bass, classical piano and muffled percussion, and with six albums since 2003, they have maintained their standard with engaging tracks like ‘Heaven Knows’, ‘Moodswing Baby’, ‘Pretty Horny Flow’ (used in a Renault advert), ‘My Heroics, Part One’, ‘Envoi’ and the more recent ‘Space’ and ‘You will be Mine’ from the 2012 release ‘As it Ever Was’ on Universal/AZ. This last album’s elegant melodies should ensure that ‘Made in Belgium’ should be a label of quality for rock groups.