aaamusic | On 12, Apr 2011

The Swedish duo composed by Daniel Johansson and Joakim Sveningsson is going to release a delightful fourth album, something so buoyant that it will leave you happy and with a big smile stamped on your face.

The beginning of the beginning of the end makes you smile starting from its title, so you expect something ironic and you won’t be disappointed, the album is a concentrate of power pop that picks something up from The Beatles, Arcade Fire, country and surf. It could appear a mishmash of too different genres, but it’s a kind of journey into their music landscape

Did you really think you could change is a folk country ballad made of trumpets, minimal fast drums and banjo and it’s completely different compared to Malou, a fresh blast of surf 60s air, it starts with the typical infectious surf chorus that makes the tune completely irresistible.

But Friska Viljor can be also melancholic, as in To be alone, in this case they can rely on a sweet guitar, a mellow voice and a bell, that is the first element you must put into a song if you wanna make it moving.

Basically this album is made of simple and catchy melodies enriched by very polished arrangements, you can hear elements of fanfara, harmonica, a touch of electronic and winds, in every song a distinctive element is present so every tune is easy to remember thanks to its arrangement and sounds they chose, that is good to me, because they can explore different genres without losing their music identity.

Larionov for example is the perfect song to capture the listener with its rhythm and a wind section that gives the tune a beautiful happy mood, and Come on goes on with a more melancholic mood, hidden with a bright melody a la The Cure, but some lyrics that sounds a bit bitter.

But the best tune is absolutely Useless with its atypical-for-a-pop-song -six minute length. It starts very quietly; a guitar and two vocals, a piano that slowly introduces itself, then the tune goes in crescendo like a circus song and opens up in a long instrumental embellished by far high notes and an aching mandolin.

So my last advice is to listen to Friska Viljor and start to smile to life.

Author: Roberta Capuano