Lars Bygdén
Trading happiness for songs
Massproduktion
I like to think I'm one of the most open-minded listeners around, but dad gum it, this new record by Swedish folkie/country minstrel Lars Bygdén tested my patience. If it weren't for his name, you wouldn't have a friggin' CLUE that this thing came from within a thousand miles of the Arctic Circle. It sounds like safe, low-rent stuff from Nashville or somewhere else in the American south. I started scratching my brow on track two, "Thinking 'bout you," as our boy turns up the eloquence meter to, uh, ONE, with this verse: "I'm thinkin' 'bout chu (definitely pronounced as CHEW--c'mon, Lars, you're SWEDISH, not AMERICAN BACKWOODS)/With everything that I do/I'm movin' too fast/Won't give you no rest/I'm always thinkin' 'bout chu." I kept scratching through several bland, acoustic ballady numbers--only perking up my ears for the uptempo "Dream on," which you can actually tap your foot to, the sorta poignant "For the old folks" (a straight tribute to your ma and pa's generation; "I guess they need a thought or two," LB tells us), and "I couldn't help it," which, if you forget it's from Sweden, is one of the nicer and more wistfully sweet ballads here, Bygdén picking at the old six-string with some heart. But otherwise, this record is seriously lacking in some key musical ingredients: little things like originality, melody, emotional interest, etc. It's hard to imagine many folks making it to track 11 without yawning. Lars, m'boy, I'm sure you're a decent, sincere chap, and I promise I like Americana as much as you. But rough it up a bit or head for the edge, otherwise you're gonna start sounding like you belong in Branson. And that would be a terrible fate for a nice Swedish boy.
- Kevin Renick