Tag: Reviews
8
Perhaps this is the sound Weeping Willows were going for when they switched gears to make "Into the light": dark, modern disco with a touch of the sublime. The difference is however, Turboweekend is a trio so their sound is far more pared down, sleek and sexy. It also has the clinical deliberateness of Talk Talk or Peter Gabriel; clean, concise and expertly arranged. Like a complicated recipe where you can still taste every spice, every instrument retains its own separate space, but is perfectly balanced against each other to raise the whole. Even better, the lyrical content is informed by much more than standard-grade Scandinavian romantic melancholy. Yes, there's plenty of love and loss, but songs like "Holiday" for instance give working for a weekend an apocalyptic dimension and others such as "Sweet Jezebel" and "Up with the smoke - Down with the ash" touch on the supernatural. The mood is consistently somber and fully engaged; not something I normally expect from an act that could be mistakenly construed to be "merely" dancefloor fodder. Whether heard on headphones or in the club, the experience is just as good.
- Avi Roig
Dusted reviews the new Shogun Kunitoki album "Vinonaamakasio": https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4978
Pitchfork reviews Wildbirds & Peacedrums second album "The snake": https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12943-the-snake/
7
With his first three albums, The Legends' Johan Angergård slowly traveled through his enormous catalogue of musical references, from 60's rock to 80's wave and 90's pop. All the while, The Legends managed to show an originality in their genre-bending musicality that always made them more than a simple retro-act. Still, their musical development seems to leave The Legends with a dilemma for their new album: What should the next logical step be when reaching contemporaray influences in their musical journey. Fuzz R&B? Ringtone shoegaze? Maybe not so surprisingly, "Over and over" takes the opposite chronological direction. Only this time, with the first three albums up their sleeves, The Legends can move on from ordinary reference to actual self-reference. Accordingly, the new album contains bits and pieces from The Legends' previous periods -- fuzz-pop, synth-layers, and quite some Pet Shop Boys'isms -- amalgamated with influences from Johan Angergård's other projects Club 8 and Acid House Kings. Quite logically, "Over and over" therefore lacks the aesthetic uniformity and clear vision that made the first three albums stand out. This becomes most obvious when The Legends noisiest single ever, last fall's brilliant "Seconds away", only two songs later gives way to a clear-sounding, very 60's pop boy-girl duet. What the album lacks in coherence in its sound-design is, in part, made up by Johan Angergård's ever-impressive songwriting and fondness for melodies, especially during the record's strong first half. Still, considering their landmark earlier efforts, I'd expected a little more from The Legends than this motley crew of somewhat divergent reference-pop. But then again, maybe they're just surprising us by transforming from an album-band to a singles-band, just like in the old days.
- Arnulf Köhncke
All About Jazz reviews the new RinneRadio album Pole stars": https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=32662
10
As if it had not been obvious since this album was in the process, its impending release was instantly one of the most anticipated events of the year over here at IAT!. Yes, our expectations were high, and based on the three prior albums by The Fine Arts Showcase (including the Rough Bunnies interpretations) -- how could they not be? Gustaf Kjellvander has, under this moniker, established himself as one of the most consistent song craftsmen around, and with this landmark album narrating the breakdown of not only his relationship but psychological state, succeeds beyond the lofty expectation and standards already in place. The narration he gives us is honest, and more importantly, so balanced and self-aware of his vices and the role his actions played in his downfall -- what he conveys on "Dolophine smile" is something few modern albums contain: compassion. Listening to this album I feel as if I am there with Gustaf and Hannah, not as a voyeur but as a ghost, that same ghost that has been haunting Gustaf.
- Matt Giordano
The Silent Ballet reviews the new Scraps of Tape album "Grand letdown", doesn't recognize the Minor Threat cover: https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/2355/Default.aspx
Pitchfork reviews the new A Camp record "Colonia": https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12973-colonia/
8
For acts like Robyn and Lykke Li, straddling the genres of pop and indie has been the key to critical acclaim and popularity abroad rarely seen by Swedish artists. However, the same balancing act has not worked so well for Melody Club. They're a big name act at home, but are otherwise largely unknown. There are too many guitars for them to catch on with the foreign fans of September or Alcazar, yet they're just not cool enough to attract the indie bloggerati. Sweden may be the go-to place for all your cheesy pop or quirky indie needs, but the focus on those particular genres by most Scandophiles means that some of Sweden's best bands escape their attention.
If you have, by some miracle, heard a Melody Club album before, you'll know exactly what to expect from "Goodbye to romance". Disregarding the current trend to do the opposite, Melody Club have moved away from their original electropop sound and added more guitars and a stronger 1960s influence, but are still unmistakeably Melody Club. The infectious choruses and entertaining lyrics the band are known for are present on every track. After just a few listens, I feel attached to all of them individually and find it difficult to choose a standout. "Oh Candy call me"'s brilliantly catchy riff made it an early favourite, while anthemic recent single "Girls don't always wanna have fun" has been the biggest grower. However, the track that never seems to leave my head is "Where do I belong", a song that would have fit perfectly on my favourite Melody Club album, "Face the music".
While "Goodbye to romance" doesn't quite match up to "Face the music", it's one of my favourite albums of 2009 so far and thoroughly recommended to anyone wishing to broaden their knowledge of the Swedish music scene.
- Jessica Popper
Dusted reviews Arve Henriksen's ECM release "Cartography": https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4967
PopMatters reviews Andreas Tilliander's new album "Persona", released under his ambient moniker Mokira: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/72038-mokirapersona
Turboweekend
The Legends
The Fine Arts Showcase
Melody Club