Weekend (Arnioki)
By Rick Ecker
The fifth album from this Swedish band that seemed to vanish from the radar after their first album here in North America. Weekend has energy and emotion to spare, and makes me wonder just what the hell people are listening to instead of this.
The album kicks things off with “Shake Shake Shake,” a huge track that begs you to get up and dance. It’s full of exuberance and power, with fantastic vocals from Maja Ivarsson. “Take It The Wrong Way,” is another great tune that will get stuck in your head for days. The next three songs are a bit mellower, and range from acoustic-based to more electronic, but they all work well together. We get right back to the peppy music with “Outlaw,” which has a great beat, and a lot of very cool keyboard effects. “Panic” has a nice mix of Blondie, ’60s influence, and a modern dance sound, all mashed together to make for a standout track. The last three songs keep the new wave vibe going, making for a great end to an album that is going to receive a ton of plays in my house.
The Sounds have created an album that stands just as tall as their fantastic debut. It is diverse, without being all over the place.
(www.the-sounds.com)