Quadron: Mixed Nuts

As the name hints at, Danish band Quadron are of mixed ancestry – producer Robin Hannibal has an African-American grandfather who migrated to Denmark, while singer Coco Karshøj has an African grandfather. This cultural hodgepodge is at the forefront of the group’s music, and Quadron mixes a blend of electronic balladry and alternative soul that recalls UK producer Matthew Herbert’s work with Dani Siciliano (see 2000’s Bodily Fluids), the Swedish pop group Little Dragon and the German chanteuse Clara Hill.

"Jeans" Quadron

However, Quadron’s excellent self-titled debut is unique and stands on its own. It traverses many styles without getting stuck on any particular sound, from the handclaps and Motown backbeats of “Pressure” to the soft Detroit funk of “Jeans.” Coco is a formidable vocalist as well as lyricist. On “Jeans,” she collects an array of body types and blasts them away with strong, emphatic pipes. “She got her baggy jeans/ And I don’t like tacky jeans,” she sings, adding, “I’m into my own jeans.” She’s capable of subtler writing, too. On “Pressure,” she describes a relationship riven by mistrust and suspicions: “I’ve been trying to hurt you/ For as long as I can remember/ When I look in your deepest/ I see myself at my weakest.” Hannibal’s peppy soul arrangements offer a startling contrast to the reflective lyrics.

Since the album’s 2010 release on L.A.-based label Plug Research, Quadron has toured the States several times. When the group arrived at Google for an afternoon performance, Robin Hannibal was nowhere to be found--he doesn’t tour, apparently. That left Coco, and back-up musicians August Rosenbaum and Mads Forby to bring Quadron’s alluring sounds to a sun-dappled audience. Watch Quadron perform "Jeans" and add free music to your library. -- Mosi Reeves

"Jeans" Quadron