FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008
No, that's not Dick Dale sliding down the guitar neck on "New Beginnings"...though that doesn't mean the opening track of Love is All's excellent new disc A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night (What's Your Rupture?) doesn't set a totally tubular kind of tone from the get go. Devoted fans and newcomers alike: prepare yourselves for giddy gobs of party starting pop from listen one. Electric tempos, gigantic breakdowns, spazzed out saxophone lines, "ba ba ba's" galore, and Josephine Olausson's faintly accented vocal yelps all help to minister the group's second recorded outing a genuine success.
Unlike more polished acts streaming out of Sweden these days, Love is All forge a swinging, retro-leaning sound that's just a bit more reckless than some of their fellow countrymen and women. This here album, similar to releases by The Go! Team and Vivian Girls, was recorded with a certain crunchy quality...audio purists be damned! But such a haphazard backdrop provides the perfect environment for Olausson's riot girl role at the helm of this spunky outfit. She's a restless one for sure, offering the kind of wild vocal tendencies that bring urgency to tracks like "Wishing Well" and "Seasick". During the addictive, sing song breakdown of the later, Olausson's declares, "I'm bored to death aboard this ship"; a little pouty maybe, but make no mistake. Olausson wants off. Who among us can't relate (both literally and figuratively speaking) with that at times?
All in all, A Hundred Things is a walloping joy of a record, perfect for obnoxiously pumping all 32 minutes of from the biggest speakers you can find. Buyer beware, however: the constant loop you're sure to have this one might actually keep you up at night. David Pitz
