Acid House Kings -‘Music Sounds Better With You’ (Labrador)
Remember when you thought Vampire Weekend were going to be like plastic goths, more wet weekend in Whitby than Ivy Leaguers playing African pop? Well, seeing as they’ve been away for six years you may need to know that Acid House Kings are not Chicago-based purveyors of 808-infused basslines. The Swedish trio have scrapped more than half an album but finally they are ready to unleash Music Sounds better With You on the world. And while we’re tidying up pre/misconceptions, nothing to do with the 90’s hit single by Stardust, either…
It’s ten songs and a mere half an hour long, but there’s precious little wrong with this album. In fact, when it arrived, it went on the stereo PDQ and has remained pretty nearby ever since. There’s definitely something je ne sais quoi mais c’est Scandinavian about them, in the same way that the Cardigans, Kings of Convenience and Royksopp have that edge to them. This is indie-pop, bittersweet, in a way that is minus feedback and low on the tweeness that puts people’s teeth on edge.
Album opener ‘Are We Lovers Or Are We Friends?’ has been doing the rounds since before Christmas and sets the tone (qualitywise) for the rest of the album, where it finishes with ‘Heaven Knows I Miss Him Now.’ It’s a quality record, and you find yourself wishing that the last Belle & Sebastian album had been anywhere near as good as this.
Even if you think you don’t like indiepop, cock your ears this way. Everyone should hear this album. And hopefully,many of you will buy it, too. Let’s have no misunderstandings about that.
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Music Sounds Better With You will be released on March 22 on Labrador.
