Warwick Avenue draw from a lot of influence to create some pretty complex and layered rock. I love the use of harmonica and Hammond organ and the strong southern rock influence appeals to me a great deal. I am not too sure about the songwriting though, it seems to be lacking the extra either melodic content or rock grit to make it any good. This one will make it to the mediocre pile with a lot of its friends.
- Simon Thibaudeau
"Talking To Teapots" is one of the most twee names for a band that I have heard for a long time. However, in reality this band is more emo than twee. Imagine an angrier version of The Lucksmiths. Apparently Talking To Teapots started out as a "dreadful boy band," way back in 1989. If this isn't a random fact made up by a bored press officer, I'm very impressed at such a transition. They've really nailed that lo-fi rock thing on the head. This is perhaps best showcased in "Toadstool song", which features crunching guitars and sliding solos. This one is a definite grower. Robbie Williams could learn a thing or two from this lot.
- Nick Levine
SibiriaThere's been a lot of fantastic music released this year, and two tracks that really kept my passion for great music burning have been Sibiria's "Christian Olsson" and "Ljusdal". The first one is a funny and thought provoking diatribe against a Swedish athlete who's taken his money and moved to Monaco. The latter one is actually one of the absolute most astonishing songs of this year, and it's very brave of Sibiria and Hybris (Sibiria's record label) to exclude this hit from the album. Anyway, this album is entirely sung in Swedish, and I wish I could say that this doesn't matter, but it really does matter, since the lyrics play a very important part on "Norrlands Inland". The record is a lot about how it's like growing up in Norrland, which is the northern parts of Sweden and constitutes of 54% of Sweden's total area but only 13% of its population (who said It's a Trap! isn't informative in a non-musical context!?), i.e. it's a pretty lonely and ultimately boring place to live in (I was born way up north in Sweden so I'm allowed to say this). Also, as far as I know, Sibiria is pretty much the same band as Vapnet, so hopefully they'll deliver another fantastic album under that moniker.
- Simon Tagestam
Umeå's Regulations, along with labelmates the Vicious (with whom they share members), debut album reminds me of the sounds of early L.A. punk. Think early Black Flag, Circle Jerks and the Adolescents and that's what you'll get. Songs like "Police siren" and "We always know what to do" carry the energy and fury of those early bands before hair bands took over the scene. The lead singer's voice reminds me of a young Henry Rollins or even Milo from the Descendents. Highly recommended.
- Navy Keophan
Randy are back! Bring out the dancing shoes and dust them off! They're also back on form, after 2003's "Welfare problems" which was alright but still a puny follow-up to the masterpiece that "The human atom bombs" was (just thinking about that album gives me goosebumps). When I tried to go through the album and list the best tracks I realized that all songs here are excellent, but if I have to handpick a bunch, it'd probably be "Better than art", "Going out with the dead", and "Teenage tiger", although if you'd ask me tomorrow I'm sure I'd list three completely different ones. "Randy the band" isn't a great step forward for Randy in terms of further developing their sound, in fact the album contains very strong elements from their last three releases, so it almost plays like a "best of" even though it isn't one. Randy is my favourite band, so it feels really reassuring that "Randy the band" is a journey into that top-notch punk rock that I've come to expect from every new Randy release since their debut album came out 11 years ago. Now, please bring on 2007 and another Randy album!
- Simon Tagestam
Even Johansen is an introspective kinda guy; his tunes are almost always suffused with melancholy and yearning. But he's never maudlin, 'cause Johansen has a way of simultaneously tugging at your heartstrings and keeping your attention with evocative music details. His third CD as Magnet finds Johansen simply doing more of his wistful thing, with maybe a few more songs hitting the mark than on the previous "On your side". This is soft rock, but it's really quite lovely. "Hold on" features an unexpected banjo and very airy "Bah bah" backing vocals in the song's closing minute or so that reel you right in. On "The pacemaker" there's a sound that resembles rapidly dripping water and the keyboard sounds not unlike a toy piano; such elements prevent the song from being mere easy listening. "All you ask" somehow combines a near-reggae and waltz rhythm in curious fashion; this plus Johansen's jump to a falsetto a couple of times pushes the song to the plus side of marginal. "Deadlock" is classic Nordic melancholy; the tinkly mix sounds almost Icelandic, in fact. Very nice indeed. "I don't think I can do this no more," our boy sings several times. Sure ya can, Ev...you're a natural at this kinda thing. "Miss her so" is vintage lovelorn Magnet; if this sweet acoustic ballad doesn't make the little girls tear up, I don't know what will. And "Blow by blow" is downright hypnotic; very cool arrangement, almost Beatle-ish. Although a few tunes do generate a rhythm you can tap your foot to, just expect mostly whispery balladry and poignancy. Not quite a classic, but wonderfully soothing when you're in the mood.
- Kevin Renick
Hello SaferideIf you've heard other Swedish female artists such as Britta Persson, El Perro Del Mar, Frida Hyvönen or even Anna Ternheim (for a non-Swedish example, let's use Joanna Newsom) and found them too edgy and/or leftfield, I think you should welcome Hello Saferide with open arms. She got that chart-topping MOR thing going on, that is both radio friendly and not too shallow. What a disappointment this album was.
- Simon Tagestam
Celestine produce a sound that I'd kinda call "joyous melancholy," if that isn't too contradictory. The music is strong and life-affirming, played with energy, but the dark undercurrent is quite palpable. This band hovers between epic balladry, moody slowcore and something a bit more eccentric, as on the texturally interesting "Masterpiece" and the ear-baiting title cut, on which vocalist Mattias Erikssen sings "Let me sleep through the night/Free from ghosts and creeps" softly, before the band kicks up quite a ruckus, enough to scare said creeps away. "Sunflower" would be a hit single if I ruled the world: it's a great chiming, rhythmic tune with breezy acoustic guitars, a harmonium (I think) and an affecting vocal. The vocals take a little getting used to (they're low and rather dour), but Mattias Olsson produced this disc with warmth and clarity, and the sound is consistent. No something you'd probably wanna hear daily, but God love bands like this for doing textural melancholy just right, for when you need it.
- Kevin Renick
This veteran group is currently in its second week atop the Swedish college radio charts [ed: as of last week when this review was written], and for good reason. "Sing along with..." is a set of finely crafted pop gems with earnest--sometimes painfully earnest--boy/girl vocals. There's a light-but-heartfelt quality to the proceedings, spurred on by romanticism in the style of 60s popular music, not current emo suburban angst. Although Belle and Sebastian comparisons are likely, Acid House Kings sound more like The Association or The Left Banke fronted by a girl next door (in this case Julia Lannerheim) with a voice similar to that of St. Etienne's Sarah Cracknell. The snappy "Tonight is forever" succeeds in its simplicity. Vocals on the chorus bounce between trumpets and violins: "We are the city life/tonight is forever/until the lights go out/I'm glad you're here with me/tonight." The slower, acoustic "Saturday train" benefits from Lannerheim's sleepy delivery, while "London school of economics" gets stuck in a plodding rut. The standout here is "This heart is a stone" which blends Lannerheim's sunny voice with tambourine, finger snaps and a xylophone, among other instruments. Lyrics about the heart that would come across as ridiculous or ironic in other hands sound absolutely genuine in this case. And the band takes the album title seriously; a karaoke DVD comes with the set, so you really can sing along with these Swedes. There's no doubt that the music of Acid House Kings is polarizing. Those turned off by too many handclaps, too many bittersweet choruses and too many frightfully innocent lyrics will not like this record. Anyone on the other side of that line, however (anyone who usually likes Labrador bands, frankly), should snap up this title immediately. Vocal and instrumental abilities aside, the group's best talent is in the creation of melodies so catchy you'll swear you've heard them before, and you'll hum them all day even after you realize you haven't.
- Matthew W. Smith
Female-fronted punk-rock from Northern Sweden with above-average vocal melodies and harmonies. The lyrical content relies almost completely on naive punk clichés which is a bit disappointing, but while the subject matter is a bit tired, it's not handled so terribly. I know I've heard far, far worse, so if you don't think too hard about it, it won't bother you. Not bad for a debut release, but they'll need to step it up to keep people's attention.
- Avi Roig
If you liked the EPs then you'll like this. Also, if you already heard the EPs, then you've already heard the album's best material. For those that haven't heard Eskju Divine before, the band is a piano/keyboard-based trio that plays epic melancholy rock. A dash of Coldplay here, a bit of the histrionics of Muse there, you know the drill. It's hard to muster enthusiasm when I'm already familiar with the highlights, but I will still designate this as a recommended release.
- Avi Roig
FrivolvolFierce and "professional" hardcore – what a great way to wake up in the morning on the bus while rubbing shoulders with foul-smelling weirdos. If hardcore and Refused are your thing, then it's worth giving these Finnish dudes a closer look. Personally, I think the album wears a bit thin after the first 4 or 5 songs.
- Simon Tagestam
JunipSwedish singer/songwriter José González's full-band project Junip isn't really all that different from his solo work. He tones down his fingerpicking to allow room the other musicians, but his voice and songwriting are the same as always. I'm already a fan, so I'm not complaining. On the other hand, people hoping for a different sort of listening experience might be disappointed. So whether or not you like Junip is mostly a matter of expectations. If this was some no-name act's first release I bet people would be a lot more excited about it, but I like it just fine anyway.
- Avi Roig
A bit too heavy on the house beats for my taste, but not bad. It's glitchy enough that I can kind of get into it, but it's definitely too dance-oriented for casual electronica listeners such as myself. I just can't hang with that constant pulsing kick drum.
- Avi Roig
Uncle's Institution is Ørsta, Norway's Egel Olsen and a rotating cast of musical characters, helping him fill out his songs. "Babe" is clavinet-driven funk, with lyrics that cross the line between humorous and ridiculously over the top: "She's mighty sexy/my personal whore/but not the kind you can buy at the store." It descends into endless repetition, hastily going from borderline funny to boring. Far more interesting is the b-side, "Everything is new". Focused on Olsen's acoustic guitar and falsetto vocals, it does reveal both his versatility and his aim of sounding a bit like a Norwegian Beck. Still, his versatility will shine only if his songcraft improves.
- Matthew W. Smith