Troels Hammer sets out to map The Old North Trail on his new album. The 12 tracks find the classically trained composer collaborating with vocalists Clara Valente and Basyani, and occasionally crossing over into pop places. My favourite pieces, however, are those where he stays instrumental and cinematic. Two of those moments feature the haunting harmonica of Mathias Heise. The first, Beautiful Chaos, has the vibe of a 1980s art house score (have I mentioned what a mark “Betty Blue” made on me?). Troels’ fleet fingertips raising waves of rapidly repeating keys, a la Wim Mertens’ Struggle For Pleasure. The second, The Trusted Dog, puts Mathias’  blues harp centre stage, where it blows like the lonesome whistle of a leaving train. The melody moving through melancholic, to playful, and back again, as if running through memories, both happy and sad.

Appreciate Your Mistakes is another standout. Music box chimes, marimba, and solo, dancing piano set to subtle strings and synths. I Done All I Could is all soft swells, drones, and a slow fanfare like keyboard solo. Short wave radio snippets interrupt the closing, symphonic Touch The Sky producing something as reflective and poignant as Tears For Fears’ shipping forecast peppered “Pharaohs” version of Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

Troels Hammer’s The Old North Trail is out now on Music For Dreams.