Rating:

(New Line, 2006) Swedish rock band The Sounds are certainly not subtle about their love for ’80s American pop music. Virtually every song on their sophomore album, Dying To Say This To You, features an immediately familiar sing-song chorus, catchy synthesizer line, and patently ’80s aesthetic. The most obvious point of comparison for The Sounds is Blondie, which becomes even more appropriate once you’ve seen vocalist Maja Ivarsson’s blonde mane. The Sounds are clearly expert songwriters, with nary a weak track on the record. From the uptempo, sing-along one-two punch of “Song With A Mission” and “Queen of Apology” to the piano balladry of “Night After Night,” the band draws the listener in with damn-near perfect melodies, and each song ends at just the right time, never dragging on too long, but also never feeling cut short. Each song’s tense, tightly-wound guitar lines and spiraling synths intertwine with danceable beats and basslines to make pop nuggets Debbie Harry would be proud of. Fans of Supersystem, Tralala, or other similarly retro artists should also dig the The Sounds’s sound. Dying To Say This To You is one of Sweden’s best exports, and a bright highlight of the new year.

 1. Song With A Mission
 2. Queen of Apology
 3. Tony The Beat
 4. 24 Hours
 5. Painted By Numbers
 6. Night After Night
 7. Ego
 8. Hurt You
 9. Much Too Long
10. Running Out Of Turbo
11. Night After Night (Alternate Version)*

* = hidden track

Buy album

– Kevin

This 4-beetsreview was posted on March 10th, 2006. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.