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Modish Swedes in windbreakers, 501s, and wraparound shades, The Higher Elevations offer up an appealing take of the 60s, by way of the 80s, here in the 00s. Overall, there’s a tough, Sound Affects-era Jam thing happening here, but lots of poetic Smiths-ian jangle, too. Best of all is the intense, yearning, super-catchy “Nights And Days” — wow!
Terry Banks, The Big Take Over
Time For Action ist ein neues deutsches Independent Label, das sich vor allem der in den Sixties wurzelnden Garage und Power Pop Musik widmen möchte. Im vorigen Jahr erschien bereits eine LP der Moving Sounds aus Schweden auf dem Label. Und nun kamen zeitgleich das Debüt der Subcandies aus Wien und der zweite Longplayer der schwedischen Higher Elevations in die Läden und Mail Order Listen. Die tolle Subcandies LP habe ich bereits in GG151 besprochen. Nun läuft „The Protestant Work Ethic“ auf meinem Technics Mark II seine Runden. Ich kenne die erste LP der Band nicht, die 2005 bei Little Teddy in München erschien. Mit The Only Ones und Peter Perrett wurde sie in den Reviews gerne in Zusammenhang gebracht. Für die zweite Platte halte ich solchen Vergleich für nicht angebracht. Andererseits sind The Higher Elevations weder eine typische Neo Garage Band noch eine klassische Power Pop Gruppe. Typisch skandinavisch hört sich ihre Musik aber schon an. In den Achtziger Jahren gab es etliche ähnlich orientierte Bands in Schweden und Finnland. Straffes Tempo, Power Pop Riffs, eingängige Melodien und ein gewisses New Wave Feeling. Schwer an konkreten Stilelementen festzumachen. Möglicherweise kommen daher die Only Ones Vergleiche. Zur klassischen Bandbesetzung mit Gitarren, Bass, Drums treten gelegentlich Keyboards oder Bläser hinzu. Obwohl die ganze Platte in sich stimmig und sehr angenehm klingt, bleibt kein einzelner Track bei mir im Gedächtnis haften. Es fehlt ein Highlight, schließe ich daraus. Oder die Platte besteht nur aus Highlights.
Rate:
***1/2 Guitars Galore
Max Weber sah in der protestantischen Arbeitsethik eine „Verpflichtung, die der Einzelne empfinden soll und empfindet gegenüber dem Inhalt seiner ‚beruflichen’ Tätigkeit, gleichviel worin sie besteht, gleichviel insbesondere ob sie dem unbefangenen Empfinden als reine Verwertung seiner Arbeitskraft oder gar nur seines Sachgüterbesitzes erscheinen muss“. Ob die Higher Elevations ihre musikalische Tätigkeit auch als nicht bezweifelbare Pflicht sehen, wenn sie ihr zweites Album so nennen? Beim Hören wird klar, dass bei soviel catchy Melodien sicher nicht von Pflicht gesprochen werden kann. Das ist reine Freude an der Musik.
Nach ihrem respektablen Debüt „Always The Same“ und anschließendem endlosem Touren nun also der zweite Schritt der vier Schweden. Sie bewegen sich dabei zwischen melancholischen, aber durchaus tanzbarem Wave-Rock à la Editors und Interpol („Breaking The News“), fröhlichem West-Coast-Pop („European Holiday“, „Nights And Days“) und dem Sound der „New British Invasion“ („The Paperback“). Den besonderen Touch verleiht der halb gesprochene, halb gesungene Vocal-Vortrag von Frontman Niklas Gustafsson, der stimmlich irgendwo zwischen Billy Idol und Milburns Joe Carnall liegt. Durch die spröde Produktion und die abwechslungsreiche Instrumentierung – mal dominiert das Schlagzeug den Refrain, dann gibt es wieder Bläsersätze – wirkt das Album trotz seiner Catchiness nie zu anbiedernd, sondern behält seinen Charme über die gesamte Länge. Ich weiß zwar nicht, ob „The Protestant Work Ethic“ Max Weber gemocht hätte, aber das reine unbefangene Empfinden, abgekoppelt von jeglicher Pflicht, hätte er hier sicher gefunden. Und das hätte ihm sicher gefallen.
Rate:
7/10 www.soundmag.de
Nach zwei EPs und einem Album ist hier nun das "schwierige zweite Album" der vier Schweden von The Higher Elevations mit Namen The Protestant Work Ethic. Sänger Niklas Gustafsson beschreibt den Inhalt des Albums schlicht mit den Worten: "Es handelt von meinen ehemaligen Klassenkameraden".
Das Hören macht Spaß, weil man merkt, dass es der Band auch Spaß gemacht hat dieses Album zu produzieren. Die Songs sind energiegeladen, und laden zum laut hören ein. Man bekommt auf diesem Album oft coole Bassläufe, durchgehende Gitarrensoli, und einen starken Gesang zu hören, der an die Stimme von Ian Curtis erinnert.
Das Album umfasst 14 Songs mit handgemachter Rockmusik, die zeitlos und eingängig ist. Es ist einfacher Rock 'n' Roll, hier und da gespickt mit Synthesizer-Sounds oder auch mal Trompeten, wie bei In Place. Von den Melodien her bewegen sich The Higher Elevations zum Teil im Bereich des melancholischen, sehnsüchtigen. Stark zu hören ist dies z.B. bei Long Journey. Andererseits sind sie sehr aufbauend wie bei The Paperback. Textlich gehen die Lieder ebenfalls tief, denn sie handeln vom Weggehen und Loslassen.
Schnelle Songs wie Breaking The News und European Holiday wechseln sich mit langsameren, einfühlsameren Songs wie Streetlights ab.
Better Times, City Nights (For The Goth Kids) ist ebenfalls sehr gefühlvoll und melancholisch, und erinnert stark an The Cure zur Disintegration-Zeit.
Das Album hat bei mir nicht auf Anhieb gewirkt, aber schon beim zweiten Hören packt es einen, und lässt einen nicht mehr los. Ich mag vor allem die bittersüße Traurigkeit einiger Songs und die Abwechslung! Fazit: sehr empfehlenswert!
(nat) popconnection.de
There's a ton of killer music coming out of Scandinavia right
now - in the last few weeks alone I've been blown away by Figurines
and David & The Citizens. The Higher Elevations are yet another
great Scandinavian band, hailing from Sweden, and this is their
debut.
Vocalist Niklas Gustafsson has a very strong voice: crystal clear,
with just the right amount of rasp. Put a voice like that on top
of great guitar parts with just the right amount of buzz and memorable
pop songs with touches of roots rock and 80's pop and you've got
a winning combination. Throw in a guitar solo from Television's
Richard Lloyd too, just for good measure and we're really talking.
There aren't really any highlights here - true to their name, all
the songs on Always The Same reside in equally Higher Elevations.
Highly recomended for fans of Lucksmiths, Replacements, Smiths,
Buffalo Tom, Psychedelic Furs, etc.
Gordon B. Isnor, Left Hip Magazine
It surprises again and again, how a country as small as Sweden
manages to come up with so many excellent bands at an extremely
high standard of quality. Further examples of this are THE HIGHER
ELEVATION, which were founded back in 2001. So far they have released
two Singles and now with "Always The Same" their first
long-player, which I can only put to everyones heart who is into
MANDO DIAO, CAESARS and KAISER CHIEFS. Okay, those were three hit-and-run
comparisons; nevertheless the band has earned it in any case to
receive somewhat more attention. Even if they dont have the obvious
hits compared to the previously mentioned, which are due to the
bands rather subtly proceedings. Sophisticated songwriting, prominent
support (Richard Lloyd of TELEVISION, Bjoern Olsson, ex-TSOOL) in
the studio and excellent production result in an album full of the
smartest guitar Pop songs with rich instrumentation: here an organ,
add some brass, there a country guitar the work of professionals
who did not leave anything to chance. They will definitely be heard
of in the future and that is a fact. Songs like "Satellites"
or "Just like Juliet", are so hymnic, so blasting that
inevitably ones heart goes boom. There is simply no way one can
escape this multicolored bunch of amazing power-popish melodies.
Rate: 8/10 Joachim Hiller, OX-fanzine
After a pair of excellent singles in the past couple years (not
to mention a cassette on Best Kept Secret that barely whetted my
appetite), it's great to finally hear a proper full-length release
from this Swedish group. This album contains both A-sides (and even
a b-side - the brilliant "Just Like Juliet" - as well)
from those singles, so I already knew to expect some excellent and
melodic mod-influenced pop that fits somewhere between Sportique
and a less-bombastic Soundtrack Of Our Lives. In some spots, like
"The Engine Driver Song", I can even hear a small likeness
to My Favorite. Besides the songs I already knew and liked, there
were a number of other hits, including "Fall" and "Too
Late To Give In", making this record pretty much exactly what
I hoped it would be. Like the cassette, this record contains a few
of the band's slower songs, but here, they still show a bit of energy
during these tunes, where there was little before. Overall, this
is quite an exciting record, and (along with the Tullycraft lp)
probably the best album Little Teddy has released in some time!
MTQ=13/14 www.indiepages.com
Ein guter Titel für eine Debütplatte. Das muss man
sich erst mal trauen. Zwar nicht aus dem Hause Labrador dieses Quartett
aus Schweden und wesentlich weniger kauzig und schrubbelig als South
Ambulance, aber trotzdem nett. College Radio-mäßiger,
Sixties beeinflusster Power Pop.
Caroline von Lowtzow, SüdDeutsche Zeitung
On the second day the clouds departed and the heavens opened up,
giving a clear glance to Utopia. Elevating one’s self to a
higher ground dripping in nirvana and bliss. Sightless white eyes
stare blankly in self-imposed trance like states. The level of consciousness
has risen amongst the efforts of “The Higher Elevations”
to bring the body, soul and mind as one entity escaping the cynicism
of everyday life.
Wedged somewhere between Ravi Shankar and the Dali Lama perpetuating
willful Zen like euphoria. Making music to make you feel like the
pipe has been passed when in fact it is past.
The Higher Elevations have done just that with helping hands by
Bjorn Olsson of The Soundtrack of Our Lives and guest guitar work
from the god of Television fuzz-Richard Lloyd. At times they can
sound similar to The Soundtrack of Our Lives however they distinctly
have their own vision and this flows through the whole release.
Euphoric capitulations and scarlet fever inducing hypnosis. Think
above your common headspace, draw out your demons, and let your
brain swell through the transcendental vibrations of The Higher
Elevations. Peter Perrett has risen.
Christopher Duda, Sugarbuzz Magazine
"Warum gibt es nicht mehr solche Bands, die alles richtig
machen?"
Westzeit
Wenn dieses nicht allzu große Land auf der skandinavischen
Halbinsel
nicht wäre, wäre die Popwelt um einiges ärmer. Nicht
auszudenken, wie die Welt ohne Musik aus dem hohen Norden dann aussehen
würde. Fast scheint es so, als ob die Schweden ein Gen für
Qualität besitzen. Sie können einfach nichts falsch machen.
Unter dem Namen The Higher Elevations schickt sich eine weitere
Band aus unserem Lieblingsland an, dies zu beweisen. Mit Always
the same veröffentlichen die vier Musiker nun ihr Debütalbum.
Schon der Opener There is a town macht deutlich, wo die Stärken
dieser Band liegen. Nahezu mühelos veredeln sie ihren Power-Pop
mit unwiderstehlichen Gesangslinien und satten Melodien. Warum Avantgarde
sein, wenn man sich hemmungslos dem Pop hingeben kann? So ist es
auch nicht verwunderlich, dass sich fast jeder Song dieser Platte
sofort im Ohr einnistet und auch nach gutem Zureden nicht weichen
will. Wer nun eine kulturelle Offenbarung erwartet, hat sich gründlich
geirrt, sollte sich allerdings nicht beleidigt abwenden. Always
the same ist eine solide Platte, die mit Stücken wie dem wunderbar
getragenen Days passing überzeugt, jedoch nicht darüber
hinwegtäuschen kann, dass dieses Album „lediglich“
ein Debüt ist. Wenn eine Band allerdings solch ein Potential
vorzuweisen hat, ist es nur eine Frage der Zeit, wann das ganz große,
alles verschlingende, herzbrechende Meisterwerk produziert wird.
Rated: 8/10 www.soundmag.de
Annunciato da una cassettina Best Kept Secret, l'esordio degli
Higher Elevations conferma la miscela di indiepop atipico della
band di Niklas Gustaffson: melodie muscolose, a mezza via tra indie
e power-pop, inconfessate tenerezze nascoste da uno strato di agrodolce
entusiasmo.
E se la cassetta in questione era sembrata incerta proprio per l'indecisa
collocazione tra i due estremi, "Always the Same" compensa
questo aspetto con una compattezza mai in discussione e srotola
i suoi tredici pezzi con nonchalance, concedendosi gli autocompiacimenti
del caso senza gravare più di tanto sull'ascoltatore.
D'altra parte la discrezione non è fra i pregi degli Higher
Elevations: siamo di fronte ad una band ambiziosa, che avverte l'evidente
bisogno di esaltare le proprie intuizioni melodiche; Niklas, dotato
di voce baritonale e potente, più che condurre le canzoni
le sovrasta con salutare spocchia, ricamandoci per di più
sopra con la chitarra. Un incessante vigore che non prende fiato
nemmeno nelle due ballatone "Satellites" e "In the
night", innerbate da un prepotente lavoro di chitarra e basso.
Un disco privo di sottintesi, che espone in maniera quasi didascalica
la potenza della band senza offrire riparo alle orecchie; e se negli
esempi più eclatanti si sfiora il pop epico ("Factory")
che non è proprio la nostra tazza di tè, la vocazione
power esplode nel pop australo-svedese di "Just Like Juliet",
sincope pazzerella e solare, e in quellp muscolare di "Repetition",
che materializza una voce potente come il Rob Younger dei bei tempi
e si pone in una dimensione parallela sia all'immaginario di ragazze-mare-sole-vacanze-moto
che al persistente sottofondo di tristezza del power-pop con una
personalità insospettata per degli esordienti.
Al di là degli aspetti antipatici che lo contraddistinguono,
"Always the same" ha una bella forza propulsiva, capace
di conquistare anche i più scettici. In alcuni punti si individuano
crepe coperte con lo stucco, a volte le chitarre e la voce tremano,
e che sia un'illusione ottica o meno, di certo ciò rende
il tutto più simpatico.
Soprattutto, ha canzoni che funzionano e che interpretano a meraviglia
la voglia di pop/rock del loro autore: "in the night",
rischiarata dalla chitarra di Richard Lloyd (Television) e così
compiutamente melodica, l'alt-country sopra le righe di "Satellites",
riscaldata dal gran lavoro delle chitarre, e "Days Passing",
la cosa più intima - e intimanente svedese - di cui siano
capaci i ragazzi.
Salvatore, indiepop.it
For free: really beautiful song
Music To Listen To When You Drive Home For Christmas is the title
of a Christmas compilation. Hanx discussed the disc in fairly praising
terms and pointed out one miraculous song. Not real roots, but good
and certainly appropriate for the target group, who we certainly
know. Because who of us did not grow up with The Only Ones, The
Smiths and other terrific guitar pop groups? It concerns All These
Winter Nights from the for us completely unknown band The Higher
Elevations. What’s great is that the song is available for
free download on the site of the group’s label. Take advantage
of that!
hanx.net
Soon it’s Christmas, and it’s Art
The small label But is it Art? who, earlier this year, released
a vinyl only (!) TV Personalities tribute album that we wrote about
here, already celebrates Christmas. These Grand Cru pop enthusiasts
does in fact offer a free download on their site: the Christmas
song ’All These Winter Nights’ by The Higher Elevations,
a Swedish group of whom they are about to release an EP (recorded
with, among others, Richard Lloyd from Television). Strangely enough,
this song has until now only been available in Italy, and it really
deserves a larger audience.
popnews.com
This is the second single from The Higher Elevations of Sweden,
and it's just as great as the first one from last year! The music
is very energetic garagy pop like early Sportique or maybe a youthful
Television Personalities (except these guys have a slightly heavier
guitar sound at times), as well as a bit of Soundtrack Of Our Lives
in moments. The songs are melodic, yet upbeat and driving, and my
favorite is easily "Just Like Juliet", due to its fantastic
organ parts! Keep an eye out for this band!
MTQ=3/3 www.indiepages.com
The Higher Elevations play power pop in the same vein as their
countrymen The Wannadies and (the now defunct) This Perfect Day
and Psychotic Youth, with a slightly stronger psychedelic touch
to their songs. And just like those band The Higher Elevations will
definitely make you tap your feet, but most likely they'll inspire
you to undertake some pogo dancing. The second song on this three
track EP, "Just Like Juliet", only required one listening
before it had etched itself onto my membrane, and although it's
pretty damn cold outside, this song makes me feel like going to
the park and do some flips on my skateboard while drinking beer
and dancing simultaneously. The only negative thing about these
songs is that they might be a bit TOO melodic, thus making them
date too quickly, but for now they sure do the trick and make me
thirst for more songs from this excellent band (and beer).
Simon Tagestam, It’s a Trap
Nach ihrer starken Debut Single auf „Kite Records“
bringt Europas wohl bester Powerpop Newcomer mit einer 3 Song EP
auf „Little Teddy“ schon wieder neues Material an den
Start, welches Lust auf die im Januar erscheinende LP macht. New
Mod Pop wie er besser nicht sein könnte. Auf der A Seite gibt
es mit „There is a Town“ einen melancholischen Midtempo
Ohrwurm, mit großem Hitpotenzial. Auf der B Seite geht es
dann nicht ganz so düster zur Sache, mit „Just like Juliet“
gibt es hier ein von Farfisa Orgel Sound getragenes Powerpop Nugget
mit leichtem 60´s Touch, der mich auch wieder schwersten an
die Mid 80´s Redskinhead Band „The Burial“ oder
an „The Prisoners“ erinnert. Beim letzten Song „Fiction“
wird es dann leicht rockiger, hört Euch den Song als Mp3 auf
der Homepage an. Fazit: Mit den Schweden ist zu rechnen, die können
was und zeigen auf ihrer zweiten Single ihre ganze Vielfältigkeit.
Nach der doch etwas schwachen zweiten „Mando Diao“ LP
wage ich mal zu behaupten, daß die Jungs mit etwas Glück
auch den Bekanntheitsgrad ihrer Kollegen erreichen können,
das Hitpotenzial ist auf alle Fälle da und zu wünschen
wäre es dieser netten Truppe doch.
Tombo, Moloko-Plus Magazine
Solid power-pop akin to bands like David & the Citizens
or maybe Peter, Björn and John. It's good, but I kind of wish
the vocals were a bit stronger. Frontman Niklas Gustafsson definitely
sounds better when he lets loose more such as on songs like "Lovestruck",
but when he doubletracks his voice the performance suffers. I much
rather hear energy and passion than a note-perfect take.
It’s a Trap.com
Scandinavian quintet The Higher Elevations are one of those
groups that writes songs you swear you’ve heard before. That’s
not because their material recalls any particular song or band –
it just sounds instantly familiar. Let’s not quibble with
how they do it; let’s just dig the supremely melodic goods,
which approximate first-album Stone Roses revisiting the best moments
of Pulp’s back catalogue. The hooky ’Lovestruck’
sounds like it should be on the soundtrack of about, oh… 17
Hollywood blockbusters, or so.
Terry Banks, The Big Take Over
I was really impressed with the two singles I heard from this
band over the last couple years, and though this isn't technically
an album, it's nice to hear some more from this Swedish group. Composed
of demos and acoustic versions of songs from their album and singles,
as well as previously unreleased tracks, this cassette probably
isn't the best introduction to the band. It lacks the energy that
the singles were brimming with, replacing it with more songs like
"Your Face Is The Half-Light" and "(Is There) A Killer
Inside" that are much more low-key than the exciting, almost
mod-influenced sound heard before. Not to say that it's not a good
release, as there are plenty of decent songs on here that make this
a worthy listen (particularly "All These Winter Nights"
and "Something Holds Me Back"), but more that it's not
a very good representation of the band's sound.
MTQ=8/11 www.indiepages.com
Italy's Best Kept Secret tape label is exactly that, as is most
of their international roster. This tape by Sweden's the Higher
Elevations is an odds-and-ends collection released, oddly, even
before their debut album, but it hardly feels slapped together.
Like all things Swedish, the songs are impeccable; never mind the
parenthetical "rough mix", "alt. vocal", or
"demo" tag appended to many of the tracks here. Who's
Sleeping? is tight. Think a less caffeinated Television Personalities,
a way less bombastic Soundtrack of Our Lives (a TSOOL alum guests
on the actual album), or just fellow Swede Pet Politics (who you
should know if you don't!). In short, the Higher Elevations combine
classic power pop moves with a nuanced, deep-voiced delivery for
a pretty satisfying listen. "In the Night" even features
Richard Lloyd of Television (Television?!) supplying the solo; "Something
Holds Me Back" quotes the bass line from "A Day in the
Life" before turning on the rock; and album closer "Days
Like These" throws in just the right amount of melancholy to
actually leave you wanting more. Good thing there's a full-length
out!
Nadav Carmel, Erasing Clouds
Garage pop from Sweden, and straight away you can tell that
this tape is going to be a goodie. ‘Compulsive Behaviour’
opens proceedings with a great rocking number, and although the
vocals could be a bit more expressive they do sort of suit the music
so the odd off-key moment can be overlooked. ‘Saturday Night
Out Again’ is another storming rocker, and for ‘In The
Night’ they manage to co-opt Television’s Richard Lloyd
to play guitar, delivering a typically inventive solo. ‘(Is
There) A Killer Inside’ not only has a title harking back
to Green On Red, but also has that same loping guitar sound, and
is a nice change from the out and out rockers. ‘All These
Winter Nights’ must be one of the few Swedish Christmas songs,
but it is really very good, and if released over here at the right
time it might even be a hit. ‘There Is A Town’ is an
acoustic ballad which shows the quieter side of the band, but for
the rest of the album the band bring back the riffing rockers, with
the change of vocalist on ‘Something Holds Me Back’
making a big difference to the sound of the band, and the organ
on ‘Long Journey’ softening the sound just a tad. The
fact that many of the songs have (rough mix) or (demo) after them
lead me to assume that this album is a mopping up operation of hard
to find tracks by a relatively well-known band – even though
I have never actually heard of them. That notwithstanding, this
album does sound most professionally produced and not just a collection
of cast-offs, and so will reward repeated plays.>
Feedback Magazine
I must be totally out of the loop. I had no idea people still
put out cassettes. Not only do they still put 'em out but also there
appear to be entire indie labels that ONLY put out cassettes and
the Italian label Best Kept Secrets has done nearly a hundred releases!!!!
Jeez I haven't had a cassette deck in the house for the better part
of a decade so after a mild head scratch. I finally borrowed an
old blaster from my father-in-law who suspiciously grilled me on
the approximate date and time of its safe return.
Okay... so here we have a cassette put out by an Italian label of
a Swedish garage band that happen to have roped the legendary Richard
Lloyd into playing on a track. Most of the listed tracks have notes
on them like ‘demo’ , ‘acoustic’ and my
personal favorite – ‘rough mix’. This is a good
omen me thinks, and this strange new box that has entered the arena
of their existence intrigues the cats.
Off we go with side A:
Hard dirty guitar kicks the opening track "Compulsive Behavior
" out of the gate; a solid slice of garage pop with strong
original voice and an excellent organ part; really well done stuff
for a rough mix. I wouldn't change a thing.
"Saturday Night Out Again" takes us in with a slightly
off kilter drive with cool juxtaposed angular guitar. Cool lyric-
" I get cold inside- I get older inside-I feel like someone’s
setting me up. It wraps up with some above average harmony gangs
on the outro. Real Catchy.
Richard Lloyd (Television) guests on "In the Night". How
and why I cannot tell, as I can find no trace of a story on the
website. The song itself kinda makes me think of Sondre Lerche in
a private moment trying to rock out in from of a bathroom mirror.
The Richard Lloyd solo is stunning. What else, as the man is not
capable of a bad note.
The last track on the first side, "Killer Inside" is a
welcome bit of darker edge and a great way to end before ** I have
to flip the cassette over**
wow I'm having an analog flashback Wheeeee
Ok
back to last song side A. Super creepy lyrics. Like an inbred-stalker
ballad. Front man Niklas Gustafsson posesses a fine ability to paint
a scene in your head with precise inflection.
On to side B highlights
Ok
sleigh bells at the intro of " All the Winter Nights"
are fun. This is uptempo jangle, reminds me of a cross between the
Jam and the Replacements; a hot slice of pop and some exceptional
guitars. An Xmas song that doesn't suck!!!
, " There is a Town" drifts in on gentle acoustic guitar
and comes of as another fine example of being subtle without being
wimpy.
Garage wild romping bass anchors the fuzz drive of " Fiction
" this track reminded me of the Yardbirds.
Closing out with " Days Like These" has a weird kinda
Coldplay groove with way better lyrics than those tofu eaters could
ever muster.
I'm not clear if this is a collection of strays put together by
the band to give it life or a calculated effort to draw the cassette-only,
cool clique into buying another Higher Elevation release. All I
know is it's a damn great dirt pop collection. I am very curious
to hear more from this band. Good songs - great guitars - smart
vocals
Excellent stuff!!
Ron Kirsch, Left Hip Magazine
De ene ouwe sok is nog niet weg, of die andere dient zich alweer
aan. Maar dit keer in een niet alledaagse uitdossing. We weten bij
Hanx ondertussen dat met name Amerikanen gek zijn op het vertolken
van kerstliederen, maar dit keer horen we eens een goed, alternatief
geluid van verzamelde artiesten als Calexico, The Butthole Surfers,
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone (euhhh), Okkervil River, Palace
Songs, Jim White, Low, The Coctails en Thee Headcoatees. Het woord
christmas duikt wel eens op, maar niet de arreslee met feestlichtjes,
de idem opgetuigde kerstboom en de welhaast onvermijdelijke Rudolph
The Red Nosed Rendeer. De samenstelling is bijzonder; oude glorie
(Leadbelly levendig als altijd), naast veel luisterliedjes, bizarre
pret (Good King Wencenslaus van Butthole Surfers en Santa Claus
van The Headcoatees), een instrumental met zingende zaag van een
combo dat zich The Cocktails noemt en zowaar een geweldige popontdekking.
Hét liedje van de cd heet All These Winter Nights van de
mij volledig onbekende band The Higher Elevations. Het zit zomaar
weggestopt op de eerste release van een nieuw Duits label, bij u
gebracht door de immer attente luistervinken van Konkurrent. Prettige
feestdagen alvast, namens Hanx!
Bart Ebisch, hanx.net
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