28th March, 2010
Mascotte, Zurich
It is perhaps surprising that not more bands have taken such a direct cue from The Cure. The Shout Out Louds will be sick of the comparison by now as they take to the road in Europe in promotion of new album Work, which indeed is a move away from that sound that used to define them so.
Forming in 2001, the Swedes arguably had their critical high-point in 2007 when Our Ill Wills came out, a chirpy but literate album characterised by the idiosyncratically anguished vocals of frontman Adam Olenius. Heartbreak and yearning are on the table with the Shout Out Louds, but such is their treatment of the subject, both lyrical and musical, that they guard against any triteness that might arise.
Work is a different record partly because it benefits from the production of Phil Ek, who has overseen records by The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Built To Spill and Band of Horses. Ek has stripped down Olenius’s songwriting so that the bare bones of them are easily seen and heard. Before, the strength of their songs might have been overwhelmed by too rich a mix or too elaborate production. In short, Ek has got the best out of the Shout Out Louds by limiting them, and it’s looking good for a very satisfying night at Mascotte.
They say: “The whole idea for this record, everyone agreed before we had the break, was to make a more stripped down record, to lose the dramatic sound we had on the second one. We wanted to be more relaxed in what we do.” – Adam Olenius
We say: A band who rather than reaching a peak of their career with their new album, have merely descended their previous one and risen to a different sort of peak. Or something that makes sense.
Filed under: Upcoming shows Tagged: | mascotte, Our Ill WIlls, Shout Out Louds, Switzerland, Work, zurich
