The Perishers
Let there be morning
Nettwerk
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this release. The only time I've heard of The Perishers was glancing through the liner notes for the Lost Patrol's "Song about running away". Doing some more research, I discovered that one of their songs is going onto the soundtrack of that trend-o-rama Fox show "The O.C." and a couple of the members was also involved in that Cult of Luna side-project Koma. Using my barely-functioning brain (thanks a lot, college), I didn't really know where they would fall in the spectrum.
"Let There Be Morning" is this Umeå, Sweden-based group's second effort. On the opener, "Weekends," lead singer and guitarist Ola Klüft's voice mournfully waits for the two-day break at the end of the work week. Klüft, being backed by Martin Gustafson (keyboards/backing vocals), Pehr Åström (bass) and Thomas Hedlund (drums), lets his voice handle every lyric as if it were a piece of porcelain. His vocals never weigh down the songs but provide the right amount of emotion for every song. The subtle guitar work, combined with the keyboards, creates a sound similar to that of Coldplay and Travis but with more of an "indie" edge to them. "Trouble sleeping," which will appear on vol. 2 of the soundtrack for "The O.C.", is the highlight of the album. Klüft's voice glides over the instruments while the guitar and piano quietly play off one another. Lyric-wise, the songs aren't that hard to decipher. Simple, straight-to-the-point stuff point that won't rack your brain.
- Navy Keophan