Acid House Kings
Music sounds better with you
Labrador
Celebrating twenty years as a band is no small task, and Acid House Kings should be applauded for plodding their way through said time span, though with only five albums -- including this one -- their discography seems a bit thin when compared to other acts of a similar vintage. Their previous release, "Sing along with the Acid House Kings" found the band honing their precious twee-pop quite exquisitely -- the lyrics were not overly saccharine and the songs had a punching chorus, an atypical twee attribute. Six years on, we find them attempting to replicate the feel of the aforementioned album, but to rather dire results -- it is as meticulously crafted as any that Johan Angergård helms, however after such a long rest, one would expect to find the band challenging themselves to produce a refreshed, altered work. Instead, "Music sounds better with you" stabilizes itself as a reworking of its predecessor, only without the whimsical charms which made for repeated listens. Sadly, the Acid House Kings have delivered a record that feels nothing more than decent background music.
- Matt Giordano
