Tag: Reviews
8
Before every gig on Thåström's latest tour, he and his band listened to Italian dark-wave legends Kirilian Camera to get into the right claustrophobic, dark mindset. With that in mind, it's no surprise that his new band Sällskapet (with Pelle Ossler's amazing guitarwork and old PLP-cohort Niklas Hellberg) conjures dark atmospheres, pulsing hypnotic beats and images of worn-down streets in concrete jungles. While it's easy to draw comparisons to both Kirilian Camera and later-day Einstürzende Neubauten, Sällskapet mostly resembles the third album of Thåström's 90s industrial outfit Peace Love and Pitbulls; only slowed down, stripped of metal-riffs and explosions, and turned into infernal electro-blues. The worn down approach makes the songs stronger, setting atmosphere in the front room with half the album being an instrumental soundtrack to feverish city-nightmares. But the best songs are the ones where Thåström (or in one instance, Nina Ramsby) sings, cutting right to the bone of the listener. When the accompanying DVD sets their songs to images of worn down subway trains, cranes in harbours, dark tunnels and rainfilled streets, it almost makes Sällskapet border on parody. But the rusted beauty of the music makes sure they land on the right side of greatness, both on disc and video.
- Hanzan
8
What is there to say about Shout Out Louds that hasn't already been said? Most of you people already know that their career skyrocketed shortly after the release of the "Howl howl gaff gaff" album in 2003. The record did well in Sweden and parts of Europe, but it was in the States that things started to happen. A record deal with Capitol opened a lot of doors (followed by appearances on both Letterman and Jay Leno). But that was then and this is now. Armed with new popish material, Shout Out Louds are once again back on the quest to rule the world. A quest they just might succeed with, Herrgårn in Linköping is totally packed this evening. People really want to see one of Sweden's hottest bands at this moment, that's for sure. If anyone in the band feels nervous or any kind of pressure of once again playing in front of a Swedish audience, they certainly don't show it. Shout Out Louds perform with all the experience and professionalism they could ever muster. Every song is delivered with such confidence and honesty that I lose all defences. This is the band to see this year. The songs on the new album, "Our ill wills" differ quite a lot from the previous album, but in a good way. Call it development if you want. Where "Howl howl gaff gaff" was all about simplicity, the songs from "Our ill wills" show off a band with a fascination the late 80's, especially the British new wave music (The Cure, Joy Division, etc.). "Impossible" will be the song that brings back sunshine into your heart.
- Christian Stenbacke
6
One thing I cannot fault They Live By Night with is that the production value here is superb, with the right amounts of distortion and reverb added into the mix to create a dynamic sound. However, they play the blend of dance-indie-pop mix that's been done so much before (especially in the past few years) that I'm just not really intersted in hearing anymore; even when they mix in the post-rock elements. I can think of bands that are doing it better at this time. "Coast to coast", my favourite on the album, is a nice, somewhat meandering organ-heavy track. "Ode to band" is another song that really stuck out to me, and again, it's a slower one. I feel that's where the band's strength lies, as the vocals inflections tend to relate better than on the energetic numbers, where everything feels too rushed.
- Matt Giordano
7
The opener "10,000 nights of thunder" is the kind of music that seems effortlessly conjured up. It's a healthy dose of ABBA, a touch of Scissor Sisters, some 60s pop and lots of enthusiasm mixed together while drenched in sass and fun. Add some delightful dueting between singers Anders and Stine, hooks that could capture a great white shark and we're looking at an instant spreader of joy, not to mention a song impossible to sit still to! But there is a problem. The album never again reaches the same dazzling heights. Instead of uplifting retropop, it sometimes loses its way with prolonged songs about rubber boots and Macintoshes. Or songs lacking energy and spark, songs that merely become hollow shells of retro fascination. However, when it works (and to be honest it work more than it doesn't), like the fabulously bouncy "Fascination", or the Stine-lead anthem "Boyfriend", then Alphabeat is an instant sunny cure to icy spring chills. A giddy party cocktail from the best of the 60s and 70s that may not change your world, but at least brighten it.
- Hanzan
2
The Ark are representing Sweden in the Eurovision contest (taking place in Finland in about two weeks time) and I really want them to win. Not because I'm a fan, nor due to them and me sharing the same country of birth. The truth is that I have bet £10 that they'll win and if their silly "The worrying kind" manages to fool the jury, I'm going to be £80 richer (drinks are on me if they win and you see me the next day). It can't have been easy for their management to pick a song for Eurovision, almost all songs on this album sounds like they could have been contenders (against horrible songs by sad Swiss DJs and loopy Icelandic divas). "Prayer for the weekend" went straight to the top spot on the Swedish album chart when it came out and it'll probably stay there for a little while longer. It's good music for kids, and if my 4 year old nephew likes to shake his tiny feet to these songs, that's fine, but I wouldn't recommend this unoriginal mishmash of theatrical pop with mass sing-a-long choruses to anyone older than him. Perhaps Sweden's full of very nice parents who spend their heard earned money on their children's musical preferences? Let us close our eyes and pretend that this is the case.
- Simon Tagestam
5
During a brief period in my life one could say I was in it way over my head. In the centre of things was, of course, this girl. Well, it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, so, there I was, heartstruck and miserable. That's when I found salvation. In the form of Kristofer Åström. The front man from legendary swedish emo/rock band Fireside has had a very special place in my heart ever since. Perhaps that's why I'm so disappointed tonight. Expectations are dangerous things. "RainawayTown" is the name of the new Kristofer Åström album, the gig in Linköping being the second stop on the Rainaway-tour. One major change in the live lineup of 2007 is that The Hidden Truck now is but a memory, with The Rainaways (including members from Nationalteatern, among others) filling up the void. The result is... below my expecations. Even though "RainawayTown" might be the best album since "Northern blues", or perhaps even better, the songs have problems transfering from record into live format. Sadly, I'd say it's mostly because of Kristofer himself, he seems quite out of shape this evening. He forgets lines, rearranges the setlist to everyones confusion, and seems generally unfocused. Then again, this is only the second gig ever with The Rainaways - I'm sure everything will run much smoother a couple of more gigs into the tour.
- Christian Stenbacke
8
If someone had suggested to me that The Concretes' new album is their best album to date, before I've heard any of the songs, I'd have found it very hard to believe them. I'm a big fan of the band and when I heard the news that Victoria Bergman gone solo, I seriously thought The Concretes were over and done with. How wrong I was! Drummer Lisa Millberg has now taken over vocal duties, and she's fabulous at it, not to mention perfect for the band. It's quite a bold move by producer Jari Haapalainen to put her vocals so high up in the mix, but it works very well. I like all the songs on this album, although some of my favourites are the very melodic "Are you prepared?", the chorus to "Keep yours", the first single "Kids", and the last song of the album, the slow and pretty "Simple song". If you're also a fan, and were worried that the band would lose their edge or whatever without the loopy Bergman behind the mic, you can finally relax – The Concretes seem to have ended up an ever better band without her.
- Simon Tagestam
8
The title track kick-starts this EP with typical, charismatic TEWBK-sounds. Crooked, skewed guitars over driven drumbeats and cynical lyrics sung by singer Niklas Quintana and, yeah, I could easily say I've heard it before ('cause I have), but this is too good to be true. When the chorus sets in ("This I do just to piss you off"), it is once again so sad that this band is still one of Sweden's best kept secrets. Not to the enlightened readers of It's A Trap! though - both Avi and I are dedicated fans. "Top fuel motorsåg" (for the non-Swedes, "motorsåg" is Swedish for chainsaw) is, in all its charm, somewhat a tribute to My Bloody Valentine and "Medicine and airbags" (previously released on the "It's a trap! Readers companion volume two"-comp.) administers the heritage of Him Kerosene in the finest way possible. According to rumours, I've heard this EP is just a teaser for a full-length coming in a near future. And what a teaser it is!
- Jonas Appelqvist
8
One thing I like about this this album is that it's a grower, I just don't seem to be able to get bored of it, no matter how many times I play it. The lyrics are also worth their word count in gold. "Tamagotchi freestyle", for example, contains the superb lines "For what it's worth I know it's hard to stay, every day we miss you, Leila K". Lovekevins sound a bit like the love child of The Tough Alliance and The Radio Dept., which isn't as freakish as it sounds. No, it's very catchy, fresh, pleasant and I think now is the time for you to go and visit their Myspace page and give them a little listen (before you buy this CD).
- Simon Tagestam
7
There's an unnatural beauty in darkness, in bleak moments spent looking out over cities that once held such magic, and reviewing events, now etched into memory, longing for cities we've long since departed, friends we haven't seen in years, and for that vibrant cord that seemed to tie us energetically to the unfolding events of the world around us. Viola's most recent release, "Wonderabilia", is a complicated portrait of barren expanses, of isolation, and of the beauty that is so often crafted within the shadows. While the album is based around a few simple mechanisms – dark pop sensibilities, electronic atmospherics, and powerful, building arrangements – "Wonderabilia" isn't an 'easy' record. There are songs that are immediately appealing, such as the openers "Unreal life" and "Stay unknown", but there are also songs that are difficult to fully appreciate on the first listen, or are, at the very least, augmented and better understood with repeated listens. During my first few run-throughs, I felt almost distracted by the glittering layer of electronics in a few of the songs, but the depths present themselves as I became more acquainted with the tone of the record and the songs themselves. This isn't at all to say the record is flawless, very few records are, but as a whole "Wonderabilia" functions extremely well. Viola have crafted a solid album from the fragments of daily unhappiness, from the influences of bands like Depeche Mode and New Order, and incorporated these splinters deftly into their own unique, flowing sound.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
8
On Sophie's sixth album, intimacy comes first. Her band could be playing right there in the room with you, as Sophie sits and whispers into the listener's ear. While her musical palette has basically been the same reflective songs for dusky autumn days since 98's "Precious burden", "Memory loves you" pours a bit of light and optimism into the melancholia. A light that gives the album an identity and feel of its own. A feel that Sophie finally seems comfortable in facing her audience, by baring herself in songs like the gorgeous stripped down "I got yours". Album highlight "Love on my mind" even dares to climax with a piano that's straight out of ABBA. A few times, the strings cross over from beautiful to saccharine, but mostly the songs wrap the listener up in a tender embrace. Letting us know that spring is on the way, and that there is a tender beauty even in the bleakest rooms.
- Hanzan
6
First the disclaimer: I'm supposed to love this album. This American release of The Chrysler's second record is on Galaxy Gramaphone, a Parasol imprint, and I'm generally a strong advocate of all things Parasol. But so help me, this is one boring CD. I'll grant that it's got clever and unusual arrangements that sound surprisingly natural and organic, but their brand of slow, tranquil soft pop never connects emotionally. In some ways, they epitomize the Swedish knack for deconstructing genres of the past (in this case sensitive sixties Donovan-esque folk pop) and reconstructing them in ways that are simultaneously familiar and brand new. In this case, though, this intellectual accomplishment isn't enough.
- Nancy Baym
8
Dark Tranquility can still deliver top notch melodic death metal after some 15 years in the business. Together with At the Gates and In Flames, they are the founders of the so called Gothenburg sound. Where most bands would long since peaked, Dark Tranqility at this point sound better than they've done in a long time. I dare say "Fiction" is their best album since the classic "The gallery" from 1995. They make smart use of keyboards and sometimes create a gothic mood, and the variation of really fast and aggressive songs alongside slower material makes this album a very versatile affair. And the fact that vocalist and growl-master Mikael Stanne once again uses his clean voice on two songs is a great move. Songs like "Blind at heart" and "Nothing to no one" is the ultimate proof that this band should achieve the same kind of breakthrough as other Swedish death metal bands like Arch Enemy or In Flames!
- Richard Wilson
7
The Honeydrips have previously released material quite sporadically, in the shape of CDRs, mp3s and seven-inches. I've enjoyed their songs and I really wanted this album to sweep me off my feet and let me taste a slice of indie pop heaven. Unfortunately, it's not exactly heavenly although it is quite good. The album's very much a product of the time and place where it was made (i.e. Sweden in 2006-07), which I think is a very good thing. Even though I miss some great standout tracks (such as "The trouble with the neo-Nazis"), it's a nice album with cosy songs, ok lyrics, and bits of sampled movie dialogue that, all in all, helps to create a warm and fuzzy atmosphere.
- Simon Tagestam
7
Konie is experimental electronica from Stockholm (see sample on March 27th, 2007) with a big difference: all samples are from taperecorder tapeloops. At most times, the album just blends it all together as one endless buffet - the selections are bad for you, yet they can become highly addictive - but then you catch a snippet here and there that sounds appealing. Take for example the intro for the album that welcomes you warmly to the 'club', while "History/Science" tackles quirky subject matter. However, the track that sticks out the most it "My life is shit but I am funky", reminiscent of Blair's "Have fun go mad". It's songs like these that make me wish there'd be more singles. There are upwards of 20 different instruments used in the total of 16 songs featuring 15 contributing artists. With that much choice, I'm sure you'll find a favourite track.
- Jennifer Ma
They Live By Night
The End Will Be Kicks
Viola