Jonas Game
ADHD
Sincerely Yours
Expectations are everything. My roommate was prepared for the glitzy, sex-saturated retelling of "Beowulf", and I was hoping for the meat of the original epic poem, obviously retooled by the talented Neil Gaiman, with a little flash added by director Robert Zemeckis. Alan had a great time; I sat limply in my chair, groaning through the plot changes and, in my opinion, stilted and strained dialogue (and the humorously awful depiction of Grendel), only occasionally fazed by what flickered upon the screen.
But here I find myself on the opposite side of the fence. Mostly I've heard a negative reaction to Jonas Lundqvist's record, and surprise at some of the positive press he's received. I'm not sure what people were expecting when they saw that the former drummer of Bad Cash Quartet was releasing his debut solo album on The Tough Alliance's own Sincerely Yours label. (Personally I expected this sort of well-trodden pop exploration.) The title track is definitely the peak of the album, and the song that holds up best to constant scrutiny, but "ADHD" is a summer-y, sun-bleached pop record in the vein of Håkan Hellström and The Clash's more playful, simplistic moments. I even hear elements of Springsteen and mid-career-era Rancid (think "Life won't wait"). Would I run into a crowded room proclaiming the brilliance of Jonas Lundqvist? Probably not. Will I be listening to this album in an attempt to stave off the strengthening shadows of the coming winter? Probably, yeah. It's fun. I have no problem with a successfully attempted pop record.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
