Isola

The mid-'90s deluge of brilliant Swedish pop bands slowed somewhat by the end of the decade, thanks in no small part to the abolition of a national employment-opportunity program through which struggling pop bands could apply for grants to buy equipment and attend seminars on management and publishing. However, after the continued worldwide success of bands like the Cardigans, pop fans still looked to Sweden for inspiration.
The belated U.S. issue of ISOLA, the debut from Stockholm's Kent, is another example of the country's astounding popcraft. Taking what's good about '90s British pop bands like Suede, Oasis, and Radiohead (moody, guitar-heavy minor-key pop songs with an equal emphasis on hooks and '70s-style epic orchestral sweep) while eliminating those bands' shortcomings, Kent hits a pop-meets-bombast peak not seen since the heyday of the Electric Light Orchestra and Supertramp, but with the charming self-effacement typical of Swedish pop.|