The musical exploits and talents of the Stockholm Kellermans are well known to IAT! readers, so no one should be surprised that Andrea Kellerman - aka Firefox AK - has concocted some smart and snappy electronic pop on her debut EP "What's that sound". The urgency and range of her voice on the title track ("the sound of his voice/it still rings in my ears/hey, hey, what's that sound?") make for a quick, catchy gem at just under two and a half minutes. "Wonder boy" sounds decidedly new-wave, bouncing along to a heavy electro beat with lush vocals. Things get a little repetitive on "Who can act", but the longer, mid-tempo "Harvey" successfully pairs a strummed acoustic guitar with gliding keyboards and brings this solid first release to a close. Firefox is staying busy, too--a full-length album is in the works, as are more tour dates this fall in Sweden, Germany and Denmark. That's undoubtedly a sign of more good things to come.
- Matthew W. Smith
Yet another female-fronted band from the wilds of Sweden, Dexter's Moon is a septet led by vocalist Jenny Maria Kellerman, along with Emilie Lindkvist, brothers Martin and Bjorn Insulander, Jennifer Pope and Simon Stalenhag. The 8 songs that make up their debut, "Come rain", create an admirably sustained mood of quiet introspection and acoustic guitar-based melancholy. Jenny sings in a very shy manner, as though she's a bit hesitant to reveal such personal things in a recording but can't help herself. This is closer to old-style folk than anything else; only a few songs have minimal percussion. "Every cloud has its silver lining/Now I'm about to cloud up and rain all over you," sings Jenny somberly in the title cut. The forecast definitely calls for overcast skies here. Although some evocative sax lends interest to "In the end" and piano adorns "Voodoo girl" and "Rock and roll lullabye", most of the music here is simple acoustic guitar and that sad little voice. The best song is "(Fucked up) Love story", which has already gotten the band a fair amount of attention; it offers a subtle waltz beat and real lyrical bite in its portrayal of a clearly less-than-inspiring relationship. "This kind of love we're making is like a spider's web/We're two flies caught in it until we're dead." Yessir, makes you wanna dive right into the ol' dating pool, doesn't it? Although the music here is pretty and I found it sometimes poignant, it doesn't really provide much in the way of cathartic release. It's kind of repetitious; in other words, and you can tell the group's still finding their way. But they have the talent to do so, and with a little more energy and diversity next time out, they should be quite capable of increasing the emotional reach and impact of their sound.
- Kevin Renick
Firefox AK
Dexter's Moon
