Tag: Reviews
9
It has gone full circle so to speak. I absolutely adored the debut album "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings", released in 2001 for the band's introverted indierock mixed with atmospheric soundscapes. Rock suitable for a motion picture soundtrack. On "North", the band reveals qualities not shown since that first full-length. Despite the fact that it took some time to reconcile with the record this time, you've got to hand it to these guys as they've done it again! This time, it's a more focused record with no dead spots. A true masterpiece. Gone are the flirtations with the post-rock scene and Mathias Oldén once again proves himself to be a great songwriter. "The raging sun" and "A sunset panorama" are great albums as well, no doubt about that, but now it has all fallen into place. Considering songs like "Saturday nightmares" (the first single from the record, do check out the amazing video as well), "The black box" and "Thieves in the palace", Logh should be acknowledged by a wider audience.
- Jonas Appelqvist
6
I'm usually able to decide how I feel about a recording after just one or two plays, but this record by Swedish singer/performance artist Sara Lunden stumped me. It took four full spins to get a handle on it, and I've concluded it's a slightly above-average work that requires just the right level of attention to reveal its strengths. Sara offers melancholy ballads and occasionally quirky pop tunes (utilizing guitar and synth) with love and loneliness as primary topics, and there's no denying that her voice oozes sincerity. But it doesn't really grab you most of the time. The arrangements are underwhelming, often demo-quality, and although her chords are generally nice, she rarely makes a creative splash. "One night" and "You" are decent tunes that show potential; with a good producer or half a dozen more stellar tracks, Ms. Lunden could up her creative ante. But much of this record dissipates too quickly in the memory, covering territory others have mined more successfully.
- Kevin Renick
7
Skeptics believe. An organ and a drum played by the Ljunggren brothers combine to form a sound that at times is like a throwback to the electronic craziness of the Mario videogame-induced '80s, but is actually a lesson in basic jazz. It's funny how Ebbot Lundberg from Soundtrack of Our Lives is used to promote this duo's album like crazy on Trummor & Orgel's own website ever since they started touring together. I guess targeting a wider market works nowadays even if it is the wrong market.
The organ's comping effectively creates a smooth jazz feel that wouldn't normally be expected from the instrument, the symbol of church hymns and funeral marches. I only wish there'd be more of these kinds of creative acts out there. It works perfectly: Without needing a full jazz band, one might expect the style to be minimalist but it is anything but.
- Jennifer Ma
7
The name says it all: this band, and CD, is a weeper. Even the most jubliant songs carry with them a sort of bittersweet sadness that one can't shake off, but it's not melancholic. Maybe it's because of the mellow vocals or the subdued production. I love how Magnus Carlson enuniciates each of the lyrics, each word a lullaby set free and sent out to the world. The rest of the band is just background, I'm sorry to say. It's great music to wander around downtown to, shunning all other forms of human life except for Carlson's voice.
- Jennifer Ma
6
First of all, I like the name. I'm a fan of France, so I thought if they were going to pay homage to the country's airline, Air France could at least do the greats of French indie/electronica some justice. With only four tracks, there's not much to go on, but I found the band's unpretentious attitude to be refreshing. The music is refreshing as well and what is so attractive about it is that you can tell they enjoy making the music they want to make. It wouldn't matter if they had an audience or not, but you want to be part of their club, you want to be at their beach party. Pianos, bongos, guitars, some singing, some computer noises, it sounds like so much fun. As for the quality of the music, (an average 6) - it almost doesn't matter. I enjoy listening to it, they enjoy playing it and everyone's happy.
- Jude Ainsworth
6
I don't know much about Pernilla Andersson, except that she seems packaged for mass consumption, with lots of glossy photos and fancy production. And indeed, she's got an easily accessible adult radio sound that even my old dad would appreciate. A shot of soul, a jigger of jazz, a healthy pouring of pop makes for one smooth cocktail. Think KT Tunstall. But with an unexpected nod to Depeche Mode and – brace yourself – Social Distortion. Yup, there's a barely recognizable cover of "Angel's wings", complete with harmonica, and a surprisingly dark "Enjoy the silence". Is she trying to be quirky? Or to steal Robbie Williams' title for most requested funeral anthem? Perhaps. But, as much as I hate to admit it, I kinda like it. Especially opening track "Red", and single "Scary ordinary". File under 'guilty pleasures', and enjoy the occasional big swig.
- Stacey Shackford
5
Flower Clans play acoustic guitar strumming indie folk rock, lacking good melodies or charisma. The seven tracks lull along and all blend into one decent, but unexciting unity that I doubt will make anyone raise an eyebrow, despite flutes and handclaps.
- Simon Tagestam
9
I had been looking forward to this show for a while, as having seen Loney‚ Dear twice in November‚ but now being much more familiar with his older material. Not one to disappoint, Emil Svanängen & Co. took the stage with a fury (for them) and played their most uptempo set I have seen. Concentrating mostly on material from the latest two releases "Sologne" and "Loney‚ noir", the set was heavy with hits such as "The city‚ the airport"‚ "I will call you lover again"‚ "Saturday waits" and "I am John". I have become a big fan of this band in the past year and, although New York crowds are somehwat boring and unreceptive‚ some others seemed to take a open ear and enjoy the Loney‚ Dear set too. Seeing as how they're touring the states for the bulk of the next two months - go see them‚ you don't want to miss this.
- Matt Giordano
9
As you might already know, this is Annika (Hello Saferide) Norlin's new project sung entirely in Swedish. I've listened to it quite a lot, and I must say I hold pure unconditional love for this album. It's quite odd, since I'm not the biggest Hello Saferide fan. The songs here are extremely peppy, and Annika's vocal delivery and lyrics are quite often undoubtedly inspired by Jakob Hellman (e.g. the "Jag vill inte gå på återträff och återträffa dig" line in "Sanningsdan"), which is fine since there's nothing wrong with sounding like the man who released the best ever album sung in the Swedish language, is there? The best song on the album is actually (as previously posted by Avi) "Sanningsdan" - a duet with Martin Hanberg from Vapnet (there's also another fine duet with Markus from Laakso). The rest of the songs are also fantastic, even the slow songs are great. I never expected I'd like this album this much, but I do! I do!
- Simon Tagestam
7
I feel a bit sorry for Sounds Like Violence who had to play in London on a Sunday night to a quarter-full The Borderline. Halfway through their gig, to make matters worse, one "jolly" suit-wearing guy (who seemed to be one of the biggest SLV fans at the show) was thrown out for some drunken semi-heckling, which was quite unnecessary. Too keep up with his farce-like persona, the disturber-of-the-peace re-entered the gig towards the end, only to be chased and caught by another bouncer, thus another re-eviction swiftly followed (despite protests from the audience). SLV were great - loud and sharp, and the songs from their new album sound brilliant. Only problem with the show was that the singer didn't seem too happy to be there, his ironic and arrogant attitude was very off-putting and it made the show quite unpleasant to watch.
- Simon Tagestam
6
There're currently more unoriginal alt.country artists from Scandinavia than tortillas in Mexico. Strayfolk, from Göteborg, is another one of these bands to put on the pile. Their self-released album from late last year is a very ordinary affair with slide guitars, lyrics about "been down every road that's around here" and being stuck in a small town, plus all the other ingredients that are meant to give you that feeling of driving on Highway 66 clad in blue jeans and a fleece shirt, sipping on a Bud. The problem is that even though I love country music very much and Strayfolk do country music pretty well, I wish they'd make it their own. It would be so much more interesting and personal if they'd been able to convey feelings about life in Göteborg, instead of drowning themselves in tired clichés, but somehow I doubt that this is what they've set as their goal or purpose.
- Simon Tagestam
7
This is a very beautiful album, with a perfect balance between Karin Ström's voice and the understated electronics creating accomplished electro-pop songs. Ström is certainly talented, there's no doubt about it. Musically, "En saga om en sten" shows Ström exploring computer instruments to create an upbeat base to which her vocals add a touch of ethereal elegance, much like a Swedish Imogen Heap. Looking up the lyrics on her website (thankfully in both Swedish and in English), the poetics compliment just the sort of music she is making. Absorbing, thoughtful - if the stories of heartbreak get a little too familiar. But I get the feeling she is scared to go all out with her songs. Nothing stands out on the album for me, although there are a fair few catchy numbers. I like this album, but I don't love it. It will be the next album that everyone takes notice of. She should be more experimental, less afraid to really explore the electronics and demonstrate her vocal talent.
- Jude Ainsworth
7
Being the second band on a weird, but wonderful bill (including Cajun Dance Party, The Hold Steady and Kings of Leon) didn't seem to bother 120 Days who played as if they were headlining the Glastonbury Festival. I'm not personally a big a fan of their dance/rock hybrid (think Primal Scream), but I can very much see the appeal. If they'll play any festivals that I'll be at this summer and I'm drunk and in the mood for some dancing (two things that usually go hand in hand), I might just go and see them again.
- Simon Tagestam
5
I always find it most interesting to hear the influences in some of the bands coming about these days, especially when they draw from surprising sources. Whilst one can see the obvious classic rock influences such as Neil Young and Big Star, there's also a very heavy influence of Cracker in Anna Leong. It could be the vocal delivery or the laid-back feel of the music, but it's there, and I commend them for taking on the best parts of the latter band. "After the forest fire" really is made for the fans of mid-90's American college rock. It's not a bad thing, it can just come off as a bit dated at points. However, the band excels in taking their sound to a higher level because the songwriting is very strong and they don't fall victim to needlessly dragging them out (even the almost ten-minute "Bothnian Rednecks" does not exceed its length in feel). Tracks such as "Jacket", "Fever" and the album closer "Sky is darkening" are solid pop songs, and I feel that if Anna Leong can remove the slightly dated feel of the music, they'll open up to a much wider audience.
- Matt Giordano
5
Halfway through listening to this disc, I was ready to dismiss it as fairly innocuous synth-pop with serviceable female vocals. Fortunately the second half springs to life a bit, thanks to a couple stronger tunes like "Buy yourself" and "Runaway tram," which are more rhythmically solid and feature some nice loud bass. There's nothing wrong with making commercial-leaning dancepop, but there's just so much of the stuff around these days and Goldfrapp does this kinda thing much better.
- Kevin Renick
Säkert!
Anna Leong