Zoom urørt 2006 and Urørtkonkurransen 2007 winner Ida Maria’s [Myspace] debut album Fortress ‘round My Heart comes in at just 32 minutes and 10 tracks; it is musical instant gratification. The album’s opening “Oh My God” gets the blood flowing and, wisely, pauses only twice thereafter for reflection. At once, somehow, Maria channels both Chrissie Hynde and Victoria Williams… the combination of which makes for a seductive, fun, sad, loud record.

Simply put, there hasn’t been a debut this consistently enjoyable since Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights. Each track manages to find its own identity while staying inside the lines held tight by Maria and her band. Stefan Törnby (lead guitar), Johannes Lindberg (bass), and Olle Lundin (drums) all deserve mention for huddling Maria’s spotlight, but never blocking it out. Their chemistry is palpable. “Forgive Me” shows off the band’s ability to push a song to different places without abandoning its thesis. “Louie”, possibly the most Pretenders-esque track here, does an excellent job of showing off the group’s possibilities on a more linear structure. It’s oddly conservative in light of the rest of Fortress, but it stands as the albums most listenable, catchy song.

“Keep Me Warm” and “In the End” are the album’s softer parts, the latter teetering the line held my most kitschy album closers (acoustic guitar, crooning, lullaby, etc.). But when the backing vocals kick in, the song is carried above the mess most bands leave behind. Instead, each verse is a peg in Ida Maria’s circus tent being pulled from the soggy ground after the show. It’s an uncompromising close to a raucous, good time. A startling debut, Fortress ‘round My Heart sounds like the starting gun to a promising career.

[mp3] Ida Maria – “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked”
[mp3] Ida Maria – “Forgive Me”

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