Label: Jezebel Recordings
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9
Fredrik wants us to believe many things: First, that he's actually a six-piece band. Second, that he unifies such far-reaching influences as Fairport Convention, Steve Reich and Barbara Morgenstern. And finally, that he likes to tell dark fairy tales that make you feel as though you're a ten-year-old lost in a threatening forest. Personally, I tend to go with him on the six-piece band thing (which includes members of Scraps of Tape, Vit Päls and The LK), and I can definitely make out large influences of experimental folk as well as of more recent folktronica -- think guitar and dulcimer plus the occasional analogue static, loops and geegaw percussion. All the while, the darkness of the lyrics is actually nicely contrasted with the extroverted, complex playfulness of the music: It's amazing to hear Fredrik combine all of his influences into such a coherent record where electronica gives way to straight singer-songwriterism that's instantly merged with post-psychedelia. Still, this album is clearly not about browbeating the listener with excessive namedropping or clever genre-bending, but about captivating melodies and even straight-out pop. Maybe that forest just isn't so threatening after all and it'd be worthwile to linger a little longer.
- Arnulf Köhncke
7
I've often heard the term "art damaged" to describe a certain breed of off-kilter modern rock, and I was never sure what was meant by the phrase. But the third CD by Swedish trio Logcabin sure sounds art damaged to me, if we take that to mean a moody, often esoteric, often abrasive piece of work that has real ambition behind it. There's distorted guitars all over this 11-song platter and some My Bloody Valentine-style static blending with distant, sad vocals straining for your attention. The lead voices (Gustav Karlsson and Karin Nordquist) are never upfront enough to discern the lyrics, but the feeling of melancholy near-detachment comes through strongly. There's a buzzing, angry-insect quality to many of Logcabin's songs, and yeah, some of it stings. But it's just compelling and creative enough to be worthy of your attention, especially if fuzzy, guitar-heavy Swedish melancholia is your thing.
- Kevin Renick
Here is a band with a classic Touch & Go sound, but also a melodic sensibility that totally different than anything T&G had on their roster. Iisole have a weird and different way of approaching progressions and vocal arrangements that make something old new again. Seriously, one second they sound like Yow-less Jesus Lizard and the next the majestic beauty of Do Make Say Think. They combine those two elements with such grace and ease, always with the vocal arrangements making the bridge and making sense of all this. This is a pretty good record.
- Simon Thibaudeau
Fredrik