Various Artists
Kingsize vol #2
Labrador
At the moment, together with Service, Labrador is one of Sweden's most interesting labels. The bands on Service might be more exciting and they also cover a wider range of musical styles, but with such amazing bands such as [ingenting], The Radio Dept., and Suburban Kids with Biblical Names on their roster, every new Labrador release comes along with the promise of being tremendous. What we got here though is an extensive 25 track sampler that came out last year. Labrador has very successfully managed, like other great record labels, to create their own "sound" (which could be described as a bit poppy, shoegazing, and a lot twee), and most bands on this cd stay within this niche, but there are also a handful of songs that really stand out, such as Corduroy utd's "Daddy's boy" which is pure Dexy's. There are so many great songs on this disc that it's hard to say anything against it, but the fact that most of these songs are on other releases is a shame because then the compilation is really only interesting for people who haven't got too many Labrador releases. But all in all, this is an amazing bunch of songs, and a perfect introduction for anyone who wants to check out some great Swedish indie music that isn't garage rock.
- Simon Tagestam