back in black
Given that they suported them on tour and Romeo Stodart duets with their drummer on Your Call, comparisons are bound to arise between The Concretes and The Magic Numbers. The Concretes should take these both as compliments and something to aspire to, for their music is sprightly, fl uffy and catchy. In Colour presents a wide range of songs and proves to be an excellent second album. Their line-up tends to drift in and out of who feels like playing, rather than a set band.
When they perform live, Ulrik Karlsson and Ludvig Rylander’s brass accompaniment lifts the music that extra notch which is diffi cult to convey to a studio recording. Nevertheless, Victoria Bergsman’s lead vocals, both mysterious and laconic, fl oat lightly over the occasionally sparse instrumentation to great effect.
On The Radio is a great song to kick off the album, with Bergsman drawling about “a song on the radio” in a thick Swedish accent over Madness-esque piano chords and a cheeky mandolin accompaniment. This is continued through Change In The Weather, with a lovely fl ute ditty fl ying up and down through Bergsman’s summery vocals.
The horn parts really kick in on the album’s longest track Fiction, a particularly jazzy and syncopated song with gloriously funky brass driving the song towards an eager climax. The best song, however, is kept right until the end with the sublime Song For The Songs. This is a catchy number with light drums, a fl ighty recorder part and a fantastic orchestral arrangement.
As Bergsman sings, “I loved a crazy man from Mexico,” this is complemented by twangy country strings building up to a fantastic climax in the chorus: “He sings for the song, the songs we have to learn.” The music is incredibly simple, both in chord structure and lyrics, making the songs more innocent, childlike and genuinely happy.
You won’t fi nd anything with any deep analysis in their lyrics; Your Call’s chorus consists of Romeo and Lisa Milberg whispering “I call, you hang up” eight times. This just accentuates the lilting and solemn horn solo in the background which is delivered with great composure. I would highly recommend buying this, even just for Song For The Songs. It is light, summery and very uplifting.
When listening to The Concretes, Victoria Bergsman’s thick Swedish accent should be embraced as colourful and lending great warmth to the lyrics.
2nd Mar 2006