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Looked at in a certain light, Seval is an acoustic pop band, but given the fact that it's led by Chicago cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, you should take even that qualified description with a grain of salt. [They] play pretty postfolk songs with touching intimacy and agile inventiveness. The loose, airy arrangements are flexible enough that this cast of committed improvisers ought to be able to make each tune sound different with each performance - Jernberg might depart from the melody to sustain a parched, wordless cry, for instance, and Stackenäs sometimes coaxes muted, staccato sounds from his guitar by flicking its strings with the blades of a tiny hand-held electric fan. Seval aren't the first ensemble to augment the pop-song format with extended technique and free improvisation, but they may well be the best. - Peter Margasak