E-Numbers

When the Swedish duo the Embassy began making records in the early 2000s, their mix of winsome indie pop melodies, gentle electronics, propulsive rhythms, and deadpan vocals made for an enticing, very fresh sound. Numerous bands from Sweden, like Tough Alliance, Studio, and Jens Lekman, were inspired by them to varying degrees and took that very particular sound around the world. Times inevitably move on and sounds evolve, but over two decades later the Embassy are still working that same side of the street, sounding just as vital as ever on E-Numbers. All the familiar elements are firmly in place -- the jangling New Order-style guitars, the Balearic piano fills and laid-back beats, the swooning synths, and Fredrik Lindsons pleading vocals -- all perfectly placed as always. None of that is to say that the band are frozen in time in any way. They imbue their familiar sound with enviable passion and a fiery core that gives the record the kind of energy groups half their age would love to be able to tap into. The lyrics tell of a twisted and scary world full of violence and suffering while fighting against those evil forces with all their might. This valiant effort bleeds into the melodies and playing, giving even the bounciest tracks a toughness that wallops the listener over the head even as it impels them to dance ("Renegades"), cry a bitter tear ("Violence"), or drift off in a post-punk-meets-baggy reverie ("Control"). The duo pull zero punches on the record, even when delivering super-poppy tracks that will leave the listener humming along while also feeling vaguely disquieted by the underlying turbulence. Check "Frantic" or the sheep-featuring "Amnesia" for a couple of examples of that exciting pop dichotomy. E-Numbers sounds like the work of a band just starting out, full of vim and desire to make a mark, not that of a group who have been playing so long that their career would be able to vote. Heres to the Embassy for still having that kind of passion and the skill to turn it into music as life-affirming, norm-defying, and 100 percent alive as this. ~ Tim Sendra