The jauntiness first. “The World Was Waiting” (video below) is a simple, circular tune, one of those easily picked out on piano with a single finger, whistled and repeated, ebbing and flowing. And a complete earworm of a melody, the type of thing to make anyone smile, all over a very basic beat, picked up and added to by the musicians. It’s the essence of the keep it simple, stupid theory, and when the track was initially released, it went gently viral, as the video shows. A warning, however, you play it at your own risk; it’ll be rattling through your head for weeks afterwards.

The hope? In these times, any piece called “When All This Is Over” is going to resonate, especially when it’s a lovely as poignant as this. Starting with the violin at the fore, exploring its earthy, woody tone, it develops into a conversation between fiddle and Nikolaj Busk’s keyboard. Very quietly, it soars. It might have its deep roots in Nordic folk music – which was the starting point for the trio, all those years ago – but it builds on to become a track that straddles the border between folk and popular contemporary classical, a position that they’ve staked out very much as their own (violinist Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen’s membership in the Danish String Quartet and Danish Philharmonic give them full classical credentials).

The beauty arrives with “Waltz For Miyazaki,” composed for the Japanese anime director from legendary Studio Ghibli, who’s reportedly a fan of the group. With Ale Carr on cittern, it has a breezy delicacy, the instruments dancing lightly around each other. It’s the tune of arrangement that demands a true delicacy of touch for it to work, and Dreamers’ Circus pull that off, finding the ideal balance between wistful and joy as the melody glides past in a breath of pure pleasure.

Throughout, the trio have expanded the number of instruments they use, increasing the possibility of textures and colours in their sound. They use that sparingly and wisely to gain the full effect on the twin centrepieces of the disc, “Pentamine” and the lengthy title cut that closes the disc. It builds and swells to a rich, yearning, and very satisfying climax.

One thing that’s apparent here is that ten years into their career, Dreamers’ Circus’ have stripped back some of their writing. Yes, the arrangements can be intricate, and the playing is virtuosic but at the heart these are quite simple, memorable melodies. Unlike some of their earlier work, nothing here is complex for its own sake. And that serves them well. After a decade, they’ve fully grown into their identity. And there’s still the pleasure they find in making music together. Now they’re ready for the next decade. With it – who knows? – maybe musical world domination. -Chris Nickson

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