Release Date: Oct 6, 2008
Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Pop
Record label: Wichita
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In what has truly been a great decade for music coming out of Sweden (JensLekman, the Sounds, Peter Bjorn and John and countless others), the debutalbum from Those Dancing Days, a Nacka-based quintet, further cements theScandinavian country as the center of the indie-pop universe. In Our SpaceHero Suits is a delightful, retro-influenced collection of songs whoseinnocence and spark are as infectious as the tunes. By the time the albumcloser, "Space Hero Suits," rolled around, I completely bought into the ideathat vocalist Linnea Jonsson is singing with the utmost sincerity of flyingaround in search of a sandcastle that was made when shewas younger.
All bands need a weapon, and for Those Dancing Days it is Linnea Jönsson's robust, husky voice. Reminiscent of 1960s soul singers, it deserves such formidable songwriters as Smokey Robinson or the Brill Building greats. Unfortunately, all Johnson has is herself and her bandmates, and while the quintet are beguilingly sweet, formidable songwriters they are not.
Those Dancing Days' debut album opens somewhat bizarrely, as the transition that leads into track two, from the somewhat pointless six second opener, almost mimics the start of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s debut. The album peaks early with 'I Know Where You Live', the opening strums and hand claps almost sounding like Hefner's 'Hello Kitten'. The song seems to radiate their age, there is a real sense of naiveté to it - this band of Swedish girls have only just finished school, and it shows.
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