Tag: Reviews
This album's been out for quite a while, but I've just gotten around to really hearing it (the first listen didn't excite me much). This Swedish quintet have made music with various personnel over the past few years, but "Hardpop" is actually their debut full-length. That's an apt title, as this is upbeat, 80s-influenced pop music with a solid kick to it, especially when guitarist Fritz Callahan (all the band members are named Callahan) gets to riffin' like mad on his axe. Vocalist Andy sounds a tad like early Bowie at times, and drummer Fred is a more than competent drummer. It's a measure of the remarkably high level of quality of Swedish musicians these days that even a group like this who aren't too original are still better than their genre counterparts elsewhere in the world. Most listeners would find this album quite enjoyable, and it is, but I just wish there were one or two more elements that didn't sound like so many other bands. The Callahan don't excite me like many other Swedish bands do. Still, they play with zest, they're capable of writing strong tunes, and you can definitely tap your foot to most of these numbers. "Hardpop" is an easy listen, if not necessarily a truly memorable one.
- Kevin Renick
Although their name alludes to something much darker, The Colours Turned Red have one of the most British sounds I've heard come from Scandinavia in a long time. This UK influence encompasses pretty much everything from the sixties onward, with songs noticeably sounding like whichever decade they are inspired from ("All the way up" from the 60s, "Birthday in bed" from the 80s, "Two on one" from the more recent 00s). While this is good for the standout tracks (add "Everybody's lost it" and "I saw her again last night" to the previously mentioned list), the rest wade in mediocrity.
- Matt Giordano
In their studio weblog, The Citizens were talking about how the band had become more "rocking" whilst making the new EP and LP (although later on they said the EP was more "pop"). Well, now that the EP has been released, we Citizens fans now have an idea on what the band had been up to since "Until the sadness is gone"; and if you're familiar with the track "Big chill," this is not too dissimilar. More of a distorted raw tone all around, yet keeping the level aesthetics we have all grown to love and a minimal-yet-fleshed-out sound. The closer, "Sometimes forever" is one of the prettiest songs David Fridlund has written. He and The Citizens shine so brightly on this EP, they are a band that should never be eclipsed. I'll call this another triumph for the band and I cannot wait for the new full-length.
- Matt Giordano
Mmmm. Pretty, accessible atmospheric Swedish sounds, the type of music you would enjoy if pumped into your favourite licensed hideaway while lingering over a latte or White Russian. Opening track "Ivanhoe O Rebecka" is particularly well-suited to this. By track two, however, you feel you've been dragged up the street to the trendy, chi-chi venue where cocktails and fancy footwear are required. Track three, "Hon är fin", is a welcome return to relaxation, only to be followed by a space-age exercise in keyboard and drum machine tweakings that will have you staring into your hot cocoa in a trance, looking to the melting marshmallows for the meaning of life. A mixed bag, really, but worth rifling through if you're looking for some novel new electropop.
- Stacey Shackford
I've been studying the female vocalists of Scandinavia with increasing attention lately. My theory is that alot of Scandi gals have a knack for diving into classic genres and redefining them from the inside out, or at least giving an extra edge to styles that often seem watered down in the US. Few things excite me more than encountering a new female vocalist who's got that edge, and so the debut solo album by Lena Malmborg made me positively giddy. Malmborg, a bluesy singer/songwriter from the southern Swedish town of Värnamo, tells on her website of being influenced early on by Muddy Waters, and later discovering the Rolling Stones, Emmylou Harris and Dylan. But what's so cool about this album is that even though this potent combination of swing blues and gritty country is reminicent of names you probably know, Malmborg has a singular style that owes little to anyone else. Her voice is both a bit raspy and texturally intoxicating. Every line she delivers goes down like a fine whiskey--you wince just slightly, then you're increasingly warmed and enveloped by the obviously pure ingredients. This is an amazingly well-produced (Malmborg shared production chores with Daniel Johansson), energetically performed album. Striking just the right balance between edgy and smooth, Lena Malmborg's superb album is for me, one of the nicest surprises of the year so far.
- Kevin Renick
I openly admit to being a pop princess, but even I need to shake my corduroy-clad booty every once in awhile. And this is just the sort of thing that will have me shimmying across the kitchen floor, waving my pot scrubber as if it were one of those goofy glo sticks. "Apart" is especially fantastic. Slip it into the stereo at the next family get-together, and you might even convince your 13-year-old niece that you've got a bit of cool in you yet. Play her "Enough" and you can also feel smug in the knowledge that you're being a good influence by contributing to her sense of female empowerment. You may already know Otur as Emma Bates, one-third of The Lightbulb Project. Her former bandmates Christina Roos and Hanna Göransson went on to form Swedish girl group Cat5, and unsurprisingly the two projects share a similar sound. But there seems to be more substance here than the Cat5 hits of the moment, "Sexy" and "Stretch and bend". A bit too much substance at the end, actually, as she tried to take me somewhere I wasn't prepared to go, at least not without a good hefty supply of chemical stimulants. Overall though, it's a winning blend of DIY electro-pop and ethereal vocals that will not only appeal to the closet dance diva – I suspect the boys will also appreciate the sweet innocence of Emma's honey voice.
- Stacey Shackford
In the endlessly fertile sonic croplands of Scandinavia, there's a certain strain of music you can harvest that might be termed "nostalgic pop." It's the kind of music that bypasses your intellect and goes straight for your emotions, albeit through a sort of gauzy filter. The Radio Dept. are ace practitioners of this sound, and their second album "Pet grief" is a sublime piece of work. It's uncanny how these Swedes know exactly what notes to hit, exactly which chord should follow THAT chord to maximize the "tingle effect" (the emotional response you have when a musical element really grabs you). This album has a remarkably cohesive mood, partly due to the organic shimmer provided by the guitars, simple keyboards and austere production, and partly from the soft, subdued vocals of Johan Duncanson. If you're into the reflective allure of what is often called "shoegaze," you can't do much better. The most immediately gripping example of The Radio Dept.'s style is "Every time," which features one of those spot-on chord progressions strummed breezily on acoustic guitars, a lullingly soft rhythm track and a subtle wall of "processed static" that struck me as the equivalent of a nostalgia portal, inviting the listener to come on through and let those stirred-up memories have their way with you for a spell. The voice really does seem to come from another time and place. "Always a relief" is also sheer perfection, everything about it as tasteful and cannily arranged as a song can be. If you're still grieving over some failed love affair, this kind of contemplative, far-off-staring album could induce tears, but if you really like to lose yourself in melancholic, dreamy Scandi-pop, you couldn't do much better than this.
- Kevin Renick
With the glut of female singer/songwriters from Sweden, It's easy to overlook the less flashy ones, especially if, like Nesrin Sen, they release their work on their own tiny label. But Nesrin's second album is deserving of a wider audience, for she's a gifted artist and a memorable emoter. Though this 10-song platter begins and ends with fairly commercial pop songs (the opening "Here and now" is both catchy and subtly melancholy), in between are some stirring compositions in which Nesrin is both unsparing lyrically and unpredictable. "I'm pissed off, don't know what I'm gonna do with you," she sings over reverberating guitar tones in the darkly acerbic "Called the murder song." Pleasing strings lighten the mood in "As the sun drifts," but then Nesrin packs a solid lyrical/musical punch in "Angel devil and I" by capturing an intensity of feeling that most artists would put a lid on. "You son of a bitch/I hope you die soon/My closest friend." The abrasive but potent honesty makes for a compelling listen, with horns adding to the coolness of the arrangement. Elsewhere, Nesrin sounds like early Joni Mitchell on tunes like "If you were awake" with both the alternate guitar tuning and the deceptively sweet timbre of her voice; she's thoroughly listenable here, and daring enough to extend the track for six minutes. Good stuff...
- Kevin Renick
What is it with Swedish bands and spectacular debut albums? Audrey's first proper full-length could very well be the defining indie record of the year. I can hear a range of influences varying from Cursive to "Gran turismo"-era Cardigans (minus the electronics) to Nick Drake and Spiritualized. However, Audrey entirely owns their sound. This is a band that has grown into their first album and realized their potential. Songs like "The significance of being overt," "Treacherous art" and "Views" are beautiful (actually, this whole album has left me stunned, as it is so melancholy, formal and beautiful). I tip my hat to them for creating this, and whomever is their booking agent - get this band to tour with Sigur Rós, they deserve it.
- Matt Giordano
The Cellophane Flowers owe a lot to Britpop. "In their best album so far" the subdued, layered melodies familiar to fans of Travis and James are quite prevalent, as are the grooving basslines and soaring lead guitar lines. Don't get me wrong, all of the songs are executed well, it's just that other than "Never too late" (which is easily the best of the lot; so beautiful and understated) nothing else really stuck out. Maybe it's because deep down I was prepared to hear a pop song pop up and send my ears into a whirlwind. In fact, every time I played the album I hoped that would happen.
- Matt Giordano
I have not been following Darkthrone's career in the past, say, five years, but back in the day they were the sickest, most incredible black metal band along with Abruptum and perhaps Marduk. These dude were seriously evil. I don't know what happened there, but "The cult is alive" is considerably more rock than I ever thought this band capable of. Not just slower, but the whole thing has tinges of grarage rock, Misfits-like punk and a little bit of Samhain thrown in. It might be also the most Venom-inspired black metal album I have heard in quite some time. I guess they wanted to go back to the source. The whole album is seriously awesome as it is so unexpected, and the music ain't crap either, very good stuff. I am totally in awe.
- Simon Thibaudeau
Es is a Finnish project springing from the mind of Sami Sanpakkila; this is his fourth outing under the Es banner. Wow, is this guy a walking argument for the primal mysteries that must pervade the wilds of Finland. The music here is so mesmerizing, so evocative and formula-defying, it has the power to literally change your body chemistry. I'll dispense with mentioning song titles since they're just too long, but here are the highlights: Track 1 begins disarmingly with Finnish vocals, providing a folksy little overture that lulls you into false expectations. #2 is an unhurried, stretched-out piece hovering between classical and ambient, with bits of keyboard and violin poking through the mix in a manner that seems random (but probably isn't). #3 is a piece of hypnotic psych-drone on which the introductory keyboards gradually dissolve into a transfixing piece that's very reminiscent of Pink Floyd's "Shine on you crazy diamond," complete with lonesome sax. #4 showcases childlike piano, a little nylon-string guitar plucking and sounds of lapping water for a potently ambient effect. #6 is classic Finnish psych-folk with wordless female vocals and vintage keyboards. And #7 is pretty much straight/no chaser ambient drone. Lordy, during the many times I played this disc while driving, I wasn't sure I could keep living my normal life. I just wanted to hit the road and find some societal dropouts to go hang with and contemplate woods and waterfalls. No quick summary can do this unique recording justice; let's just say that if you're into freaky, droning, boundary-smashing weirdness that remains thoroughly musical and focused, this disc is especially gripping and unforgettable.
- Kevin Renick
Most of you know Existensminimum as the drummer of Moneybrother, and you, like myself, had probably heard the first version of "Running down everyone" over a year ago as a single. With that song, one could see parallels with the two group. Those parallels are have know been extinguished. What Existensminimum has now given us is a stellar experimental/noise/pop/psychadelica record that rips and tears and lilts and flies with each track. The segments of each song interweave with themselves, layering instruments and loads of texture. He suceeds greatly, as none of the tracks are cluttered, and each sound gives way to another. Tracks with vocals, the afformentioned "Running down everyone" (although substantially different now from the older version) and "Cina" hit the listener with hooks. "Sweden" is a true gem, a subtle, delicate number that explodes with vocals chaos towards the end. Existensminimum has created a top-notch debut, and I cannot wait to see what's next.
- Matt Giordano
A lot of people in my circle aren't that keen on instrumental music, so I sometimes feel like a weirdo for digging it so much. But I really love the versatility of good instrumental work: you can play it at home while cleaning or working at the computer, you can play it in the car and, if it's good enough, it'll even stand up to headphone listening. This 6-song disc by The Giant's Dream passes the muster for me. It's not a flashy disc; in fact, it's rather subtle and low-key. But it's a pleasant, relaxing listen. The pulsing keyboards and slightly off-kilter percussion of "Continuum" are just a little proggy, with enough variation in its relatively minimal arrangement to keep your attention. The crisply arranged title track works wonders in just two and a half minutes. But the two finest tracks are "Empyrean," which seems absolutely lit from within the way the guitar, percussion and occasional plaintive piano complement each other and "glow" with confidence, and the delightful "Forward," a little gem of a piece that makes the most of its warm, ambling acoustic guitar and a few dollops of mellow synth. Nothing groundbreaking here, but "Idiomatic allograph" is a well-produced, soft-focus little platter that goes down nice and easy, just like a perfectly blended mixed drink on a cool summer evening.
- Kevin Renick
When I got this album in the mail a couple of months ago, I wasn't really feeling it to be honest. Maybe it was because it was cold and raining, or maybe I just wasn't in the mindset to give it a proper listen. Fast forward to last week—I decide to put it in again, and I really start to like it. Maybe it's because it was now sunny and warm, or maybe it was because it was the right time to give it an honest shot. Whichever the reason, this is a standout pop/rock album, full of catchy songs and excellent guitarwork. Tracks like "Man must dance," "Execution song" and "Happiness a la mode" are great sing-a-longs and the proper album closer "Summerbreeze" is just gorgeous (note: V2's reissue adds three bonus tracks at the end). All in all, a solid debut by a band who's obviously on their way to finding their sound, and all luck to them breaking it big.
- Matt Giordano
Familjen
Audrey
Existensminimum
The Giant's Dream