Logcabin
A forest
Jezebel Recordings
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