Britta Persson
Kill Hollywood me
Amigo Musik
Something must have happened in Sweden around the time artists like Annika Norlin (Hello Saferide, Säkert!), Frida Hyvönen and Britta Persson were young. Even as my musical tastes led me further from the introspective narratives of singer/songwriters from the United States and Britain, I've never been able to 'outgrow' many the female artists that populate the Scandinavian music scene. Many of these songstresses effortlessly combine the poppy with the shadowy, the quirky with the straight-forward, all without straining, overburdening, or warping the overall structure of their compositions. Britta Persson's "Kill Hollywood me" is no exception. The album kicks alive with "Cliffhanger" and its progression from guitars that feel as though they should lead into a huge 70s rock ballad, through wonderfully playful piano notes, and eventually to a bittersweet chorus, its chord progression never jarring the listener, though not unfolding in the way we've become accustomed to pop songs developing. All of the tracks on here are equally interesting to watch evolve in their idiosyncratic, sometimes eccentric, schemes; "Enter and leave" and "Happy hour" being my favorites. If you know what Britta Persson is about, then "Kill Hollywood me" is an organic continuation of her earlier work. If you don't, this album isn't a bad place to start.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
