Lost Love Songs

Given all the delays in releasing the material that makes up Lost Love Songs, it's a minor miracle that it finally did appear, and happily so. Anyone taken with the Swedish indie rock tendency to create bright, clear, and enjoyable music will find the country-pop hybrids on Lost Love Songs a gentle delight. If there are no surprises per se, beyond how Gille and Nyblad's voices suit the songs without having to reach for a craggy authenticity, the 12 songs on the record still make for a fine way to enjoy a slightly moody afternoon with as much clouds as sun. Nyblad herself only takes the lead a few times, but when she does, as on "Sail on a Mill," she brings a wistful warmth to the songs, a nice complement to Gille's own slightly mournful voice. Hellstrom's lap steel is in many ways the truest country signifier on the whole album, and as such isn't overused to make a point -- some songs, like "Thrill" and "The End of It," function just as well without it, more straight-up sweet indie pop than anything else. Sometimes it can be the touch of harmonica or banjo on a song, other times it's the sweetly gentle lope of the songs that suggests an early Mojave 3 without reverb and a bit more pep. Strings surface at points, often adding just the right air of sadness -- check out "We Might Never Meet Again," the most lugubrious (but still crisp enough) number on Lost Love Songs. The addition of honky tonk piano on many songs, courtesy of Henrik Sundqvist (who also plays Hammond organ throughout), is an inspired touch, lending tunes like "For a Purpose" an easy, fun swing (credit as well to Frodell's good work with drum shuffles). ~ Ned Raggett|