Green Pitch

At its best, Ace of Hearts, the U.S. debut from Danish quintet Green Pitch, lilts, floats, and haunts like the best work of Mazzy Star; at its worst, Ace is ponderous, awkward, and inscrutable. Dream pop is undoubtedly the band’s genre of choice, but folk influences abound. The opener, “In Amsterdam,” showcases the haunting, ethereal qualities of the music best, and the power-pop hooks of “Reverse” provide a catchy backdrop for singer Rex Garfield’s otherworldly alto. As the album progresses, however, the songs seem to blend together, droning and drowning in the band’s sluggish tempo and Garfield’s ungainly English phrasing. The lyrics to “Midnight” sound as if a child wrote them, while “New Year Departure” comes across as lethargic and watered down. In the end, Ace of Hearts is a mixed bag, showing the promise of a band that has yet to find its signature sound.