When
Susanna Wallumrød and
Morten Qvenild appeared in 2004 with their impossibly atmospheric debut
List of Lights and Buoys, critics and fans marveled at the duo's smooth blend of chamber jazz, vocal pop, and
Twin Peaks-inspired melancholy. One of that record's finest moments was a pure torch rendition of
Dolly Parton's "Jolene," a neat trick that went on to inspire an entire collection of covers. One look at the songs chosen for inclusion on the breathtaking
Melody Mountain is enough to trip anybody's "hipster irony" alarm. While it's not exactly groundbreaking to cover
Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" or
Nico/
Jackson Browne's "These Days" for the umpteenth time, it's a pretty cool trick of the light to throw in refreshingly earnest versions of
AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll),"
Scott Walker's "It's Raining Today," "Condition of the Heart" by
Prince, and the last great
Kiss song "Crazy, Crazy Nights." Toss in some
Depeche Mode ("Enjoy the Silence"), a little early
Fairport Convention ("Fotheringay"), and a bit of
Joy Division ("Love Will Tear Us Apart"), and you've got one of the world's most eclectic collections of noir-heavy pop oddballs and classics ever filtered through the cloud of smoke emanating from the ghost of
Marlene Dietrich's cigarette.