There are few opening tracks that spark so perfectly to life, coloring not only the album to follow, but drawing the listener into this creative work, as the aptly titled "First of all...". While the following track does dampen the energy momentarily, from that point on "Put it this way in headlines" unravels as an impressive addition to Aerial's catalogue. The heavier, Mogwai/Mono-inspired post-rock of "The sentinel" has been replaced by a much cleaner, almost pop-like approach -- imagine a strange amalgamation of The End Will Be Kicks and Yamon Yamon. The only serious failing of "Headlines" is that the band, after embracing a change to their sound, sometimes takes too long to hit all the right notes, and then doesn't hit those notes quite hard enough. "Zebra" should have been anthemic, but only briefly reaches that point in the closing minute of the song; it's still a damn fine track, I am just not sure why the building energy suddenly stops. A few more songs like "Vacant dreamers", a track that blurs the line between post-rock and angular garage rock, might have helped as well, though said track suffers in a similar way to "Zebra": these songs seem to be building somewhere, but they never get there; this was never a problem on "The sentinel". That said, with "Guitar ode to a sunny afternoon" and all the other gorgeous moments on the album, there is more than enough to "Headlines" to make Aerial's present and future look quite bright. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Robert Svensson (Mixtapes & Cellmates) will be going back into the studio in May to record a new solo album. He will be working at Tambourine Studios in Malmö where many classic Swindie records were made and will have Ludwig Böss (Band of Horses, Ray Wonder, etc.) behind the board. Expect a fall release via .
has officially announced the signing of two new acts. First is Simian Ghost who I believe used to be called The Anti Fashion and are the alter-ego of Sebastian Arnström from Aerial. Look for their debut single "Star receiver" very soon. Next up is First Love, Last Rites, a new 3-piece from Umeå with a debut album and single on the way this fall. Recent signees Love is a Burning Thing are still working on their upcoming debut as well and the first single "Go back to your cave" in on track for April.
There is something endearingly vulnerable and honest about Robert Svensson's music, a quality that carries through in waves on even the thinnest guitar sound or simplest of keyboard arrangements. This sincerity attracted me to Svensson's other project Mixtapes & Cellmates and, while elements of that band bleed over into his solo project, "Young punks are on the never-never" is a far more personal collection of songs, thus amplifying the very attribute that attracted me in the first place. Pair that with a stellar lineup of musical guests -- Markus Krunegård of Laakso, Adam Olenius of Shout Out Louds, Jejo Perkovic of The Bear Quartet, and Japan's Cokiyu -- and you have one of the very best albums of the year. Robert Svensson crafts some of the most original music coming out of Sweden, positioning himself as an equal alongside most of the bands one could claim influence him -- a point strongly evidenced by those who appear alongside the young songsmith on his debut solo album. Whether he croons along with Markus Krunegård on "Young enough", a track that opens like a Tom Petty creation before being assaulted with rather Scandinavian assemblage of instrumentation; raises his fantastic voice over the dance floor-ready heights of the appropriately titled "1991"; or whirls about on the choppy, far too short "Young punks", it's as though Robert Svensson can do no wrong. Since I didn't give 10s to either Aerial or Shout Out Louds, the acts who produced my two favorite albums of 2007, I can't very well give Robert Svensson a 10 here... but I am damn tempted to. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
This compilation of sold-out EPs hit the shelves not too long after their debut full-length and offers the ears the band's early development. Personally, I find this material more enjoyable than the self-titled album, mainly due to the prevalent heavy shoegaze elements. Here the shoegaze fuzz accentuates the beauty and gives off an ethereal quality to songs such as "C: you D: the ride home" and "Something less than last time". Their future move of abandoning the pretty, melodic slight drone for great pop hooks is no surprise really, however what the listener gets here is a stellar example of where I consider the band to excel - in shoegaze buried pop. - Matt Giordano
I've often wondered if the point of music is to punctuate the sprawling, sequenced moments of life, to trap memories in such a way that when we hear a song five years on from that first listen we remember the smell of a room, the clothes a girl we knew was wearing, and, most importantly, how it felt to be alive at that time and place in our lives. Mixtapes & Cellmates' recent full-length seems to add weight to my idealistic, dreamer's philosophy; the first instants of "Hold" took me back to warm summer evenings in Stockholm with its wonderfully interwoven elements of Magnet, Last Days of April, and the Radio Dept. This unique layering of influences doesn't detract from the distinctly original approach of the members, instead giving the compositions the ability to bring whispers of nostalgia to a recognizable volume while still etching itself into the present. Mixtapes & Cellmates is a flowing expanse of youthful energy and maturely crafted songs. The production wonderfully highlights the talents of the members: electronic elements provide many of the core facets of the melodies, but without becoming annoying or distracting, providing the backdrop for the soft, yet confident vocals and lost, sprawling guitar lines. The end product is a collection of confidently written, well presented, and full-bodied songs, even in the sparser sections of compositions like "The better half of cynical boys". Mixtapes & Cellmates holds as much dawn as it does early evening, giving it the versatile strengths required to be both a good summer and winter album; hopeful even in its darker moments, as I'd like to look back on these moments of youth in five years. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
A lot of people in my circle aren't that keen on instrumental music, so I sometimes feel like a weirdo for digging it so much. But I really love the versatility of good instrumental work: you can play it at home while cleaning or working at the computer, you can play it in the car and, if it's good enough, it'll even stand up to headphone listening. This 6-song disc by The Giant's Dream passes the muster for me. It's not a flashy disc; in fact, it's rather subtle and low-key. But it's a pleasant, relaxing listen. The pulsing keyboards and slightly off-kilter percussion of "Continuum" are just a little proggy, with enough variation in its relatively minimal arrangement to keep your attention. The crisply arranged title track works wonders in just two and a half minutes. But the two finest tracks are "Empyrean," which seems absolutely lit from within the way the guitar, percussion and occasional plaintive piano complement each other and "glow" with confidence, and the delightful "Forward," a little gem of a piece that makes the most of its warm, ambling acoustic guitar and a few dollops of mellow synth. Nothing groundbreaking here, but "Idiomatic allograph" is a well-produced, soft-focus little platter that goes down nice and easy, just like a perfectly blended mixed drink on a cool summer evening. - Kevin Renick
I never cared for the term "post-rock," and I can't believe such an unimaginative phrase is used as a designation for so much great stuff. But okay, that's the banner under which Swedish rockers Aerial will find themselves placed, as they play long, rousing, atmospheric, guitar-based songs with minimal vocals. They're damn good, too, and there's a whirlwind of aural activity blowing through each of the four tunes on this CD. Think Sonic Youth meets Motorpsycho, or something like that. "A limbless stare" has a punk sort of fury to it (lyrics really aren't important, and you can't decipher most of them anyway, as they're mixed low), and the creatively titled "Yet recalls nothing save that it once had a message to convey" is 13 minutes of blazing, densely textured guitar angst. One major complaint: you can barely hear the bass on most of this record; what's up with that, guys? It seriously diminishes the power of the first two tracks, particularly. This music screams for a more balanced rhythm section. But I dig the epic scope of Aerial's sound, and they seem like the kind of band that are only gonna grow more and more exciting over time. - Kevin Renick
Aerial
Robert Svensson
Mixtapes & Cellmates
Mixtapes & Cellmates
The Giant's Dream
Aerial
