RebekkaMaria
Queen of France
A:larm Music
Icy, avant-garde electro pop has long been a fixture of Scandinavian music, ranging from the dense, arty compositions of The Knife to pop flavored chart toppers like Robyn. "Queen of France" (the debut solo album from Lampshade frontwoman RebekkaMaria Andersson) falls somewhere in the middle. The first half of the record was definitely crafted with a pop song structure in mind, while the latter half is much more experimental and less immediate. Tracks like "Yours truly" and "She lion" hit you over the head on the first listen with their confident melodies and infectious attitude, but from there, the album becomes decidedly less mainstream. The bizarre helium-induced "Army of foxy" initiates this change, but it's tame compared to head-scratchers like "The foam" and "Happy birthday". Fans of the genre will love it, and there's no denying the creativity that went into the record, but most listeners will probably wish that the entire album played to the strengths of the first four tracks.
- Nick James
