Label: Labrador
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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
"The grim reality" is not only one of the best songs of the year, but the grim reality is also that summer's ending and this review is way too long overdue (my sincere apologies to the band who gave me this CD when they played in London ages ago). Wan Light sounds a bit like The Postal Service or a lo-fi version of The Flaming Lips (musically, but also lyrically - e.g. "The Eskimo in me"), and there's also a pleasant veil of melancholy over their music. The singer's voice might be an acquired taste, but if you manage to get over that obstacle there's plentiful to be gained from Wan Light.
- Simon Tagestam
If you didn't know it, twee is pretty goddamn big in Sweden, and Edson – Pelle Carlberg's band – are one of most adored bands in this sugary sweet genre. I never liked Edson, I always found them way too twee for their own good, but this solo EP from Mr. Carlberg has, after a few rounds in my CD player, managed to win me over. The main track got some brilliant lyrics where Pelle tells the story of how he calls a journalist because she's given him a bad review, only to be blatantly rebuffed and taken for being intoxicated (although he "wasn't even drunk"!). It's a nice little creepy song, and I like it a lot, and I'm not saying this because I'm scared that Pelle will write a song called something like "I hate you goddamn, Mr. Tagestam".
- Simon Tagestam
In the press release for this EP, Wan Light are compared to such bands as The Postal Service and Galaxie 500, and although there are hints of those bands within Wan Light's music, the title track on this EP sounds like it comes directly from The Flaming Lips' "The soft bulletin" (an album I was totally obsessed with when it came out). The other 5 songs are not as fantastic as "That grim reality" (how could they?), but that doesn't mean you shouldn't buy this EP (and with its 6 tracks, you'll get your money's worth).
- Simon Tagestam
Acid House Kings' new EP is viciously sweet, there's no denying that, it knocks me right out of my brown corduroy pants. You see, brown corduroy pants are, just like Acid House Kings, very twee, but whereas "Do what you wanna do" (especially the Belle and Sebastian-esque "This heart is a stone") is excellent, brown corduroy pants are rather drab.
- Simon Tagestam
Better than Mando Diao, The Concretes and that Swedish guy from Placebo all mixed into one - here's The Radio Dept.! Not that it's too difficult to beat the previous mentioned trio, but what I'm trying to say is that Radio Dept. deserve to be famous, at least as famous as Abba were. This new EP once again proves how good Radio Dept. are, or actually, not only does it prove how good they are but it also shows how they amazingly enough have managed to become even better. I'm not the biggest shoegazing fan in the world, I admit, but Radio Dept. just makes my heart melt. This EP is a real treat and I pity the man who in 10 years time has to decide what songs to put on The Radio Dept. Greatest Hits album - will he choose all five songs on this EP? If not, what songs will he (sorry for my blatant sexism here) choose to discard? It's a shame though that every time I've seen Radio Dept. live they've always been a bit too shambolic and not really given their recorded material the proper treatment it deserves, but perhaps that has changed now.
- Simon Tagestam
At the moment, together with Service, Labrador is one of Sweden's most interesting labels. The bands on Service might be more exciting and they also cover a wider range of musical styles, but with such amazing bands such as [ingenting], The Radio Dept., and Suburban Kids with Biblical Names on their roster, every new Labrador release comes along with the promise of being tremendous. What we got here though is an extensive 25 track sampler that came out last year. Labrador has very successfully managed, like other great record labels, to create their own "sound" (which could be described as a bit poppy, shoegazing, and a lot twee), and most bands on this cd stay within this niche, but there are also a handful of songs that really stand out, such as Corduroy utd's "Daddy's boy" which is pure Dexy's. There are so many great songs on this disc that it's hard to say anything against it, but the fact that most of these songs are on other releases is a shame because then the compilation is really only interesting for people who haven't got too many Labrador releases. But all in all, this is an amazing bunch of songs, and a perfect introduction for anyone who wants to check out some great Swedish indie music that isn't garage rock.
- Simon Tagestam
Bouncing along whimsically, the "#1 EP" by Haninge, Sweden's Peter Gunnarsson and Johan Hedberg is smart pop that never takes itself too seriously. It's an impressively catchy four-song debut, especially considering the group started playing together a year ago this month. "Ba ba bas" are in abundance (especially on the harmony-driven "Trumpets and Violins"), matched splendidly with simple piano and acoustic guitar melodies. Against such a sugary backdrop, lyrics like "I notice she's been listening a lot to Joy Division lately/and I notice that darkness in her smile" and "I want to turn all the dance floors/into a burning inferno of ba-ba-ba" sound even funnier than they would otherwise. The closing track even brings Morrissey to mind. Sometimes the lead vocals are a little hard to hear, but then again the EP was recorded at the home of Peter's parents. With melodies that will stay in your head for days and enough zaniness to make you laugh, the young Suburban Kids with Biblical Names are off to a promising start. Labrador was wise to snatch them up.
- Matthew W. Smith