| Subject: tsool's chicago show reviewed in suntimes |
Author:
dean
| [ Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 16:46:52 04/03/03 Thu
TSOOL finally got some press in Chicago:
From the Chicago Sun Times
The soundtrack of our lives
April 3, 2003
BY BRIAN ORLOFF
While most rock bands are fronted by athletic, sexy stars, the Soundtrack of Our Lives' lead singer, Ebbot Lundberg, more resembles a cross between Jim Morrison and Mama Cass. Outfitted in a black tunic over black pants, the heavyset singer for the the Swedish psychedelic rock group possessed a messianic complex just as large. Like an enigmatic rock 'n' roll priest, Lundberg struck histrionic poses and plodded through his dance moves during his band's grandiose hour-and-45-minute set in front of a near-capacity crowd Tuesday at the Metro.
Now considered part of a heralded Scandinavian musical invasion featuring fellow Swedes the Hives, the Soundtrack of Our Lives are actually not such neophytes. Rising to a more mainstream attention in North America after Oasis enlisted them to serve as opening act last summer, the musicians have released three albums. Their latest, 2002's "Behind the Music," matches brooding psychedelic rock with expansive atmospherics.
The sextet set a sublimely somber tone during show opener "Four Ages, Pt. 2." Smoke wafted across the strobe-lit stage, creating a jagged, dreamlike setting that perfectly befit the band's trippy blend of anthemic guitar caterwauling and prog-rock-flavored keyboard noodling.
Much of the show swelled with a turgid energy; songs shape-shifted, never hewing to the same tempo for long. The music would sometimes meander because of the band's predilection for smoky detours through craggy, Pink Floyd-influenced soundscapes, and Lundberg's deep croon would get lost in the maelstrom.
Nevertheless, the show was always riveting.
Lundberg occupied much of the stage, often trotting back and forth with a nonchalant kick or flinty hair toss, and his bandmates joined in, jostling back and forth, even strutting out to the front of the stage and playing to the crowd.
But Lundberg was also joyfully egalitarian in sharing the spotlight. Drummer Fredrik Sandsten enjoyed two spicy solos, while guitarist Mattias Barjed, donning a splashy Union Jack coat, rocked a double-necked guitar late into the set. The band's second guitarist, Ian Person, shared vocal duties on "Still Aging" from "Behind the Music." And when the group left the stage, save for Lundberg, keyboardist Martin Hederos and bassist Karl Gustafsson alternated on electric piano and organ for the spacy cabaret number "Tonight," in which Lundberg changed his lyrics, tossing in the line, "Last night I was waiting for Donald Rumsfeld to fall."
"Nevermore" was constructed around Hederos' symphonic keyboard trills, while "Mind the Gap" proved predatory early in the set. When Lundberg sang, "We're taking over/and we might as well just blow you away," the loud, prodding guitars matched his claim. The crowd received the band's single "Sister Surround" with wild cheers. Packaged with a kicky chorus, the song, and its response, showed that focusing a bit does not detract from the ambience and can create a more accessible sound.
Brian Orloff is a local free-lance writer.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/rock/cst-ftr-lives03.html
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
] |
|
Feedback: 