The Concretes
Hey trouble
Licking Fingers
If someone had suggested to me that The Concretes' new album is their best album to date, before I've heard any of the songs, I'd have found it very hard to believe them. I'm a big fan of the band and when I heard the news that Victoria Bergman gone solo, I seriously thought The Concretes were over and done with. How wrong I was! Drummer Lisa Millberg has now taken over vocal duties, and she's fabulous at it, not to mention perfect for the band. It's quite a bold move by producer Jari Haapalainen to put her vocals so high up in the mix, but it works very well. I like all the songs on this album, although some of my favourites are the very melodic "Are you prepared?", the chorus to "Keep yours", the first single "Kids", and the last song of the album, the slow and pretty "Simple song". If you're also a fan, and were worried that the band would lose their edge or whatever without the loopy Bergman behind the mic, you can finally relax – The Concretes seem to have ended up an ever better band without her.
- Simon Tagestam