Customer Reviews

Behind the Music

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There's a core group of us here in Middle America who've been following the trajectory of these Swedes' career for the past 5 years or so. Not because we're cool.... but because we're dorks, because we puffy-heart real rock music, because there hasn't been anything else this good around in a long time...

TSOOL, as other reviewers have mentioned, are riz from the ashes, at least partially, of the woefully underknown Swedish fearless ultra-rock Stooges-loving band Union Carbide Productions (but they were so much more than that!). Vocalist Ebbot Lundberg and guitarist Ian Person were both in Union Carbide Productions; former Union Carbide guitarist Bjorn Olsson was also a founding member of TSOOL (he left after 2 records). The rest of the guys have done major time in other Swedish bands whose work will likely never see the light of day (the Nymphet Noodlers, for example... though TSOOL keyboardist Martin Hederos has a lovely, piano/vocal side project with ex-Hellacopter Mattias Hellberg called Hederos & Hellberg that may see release here somehow). As for UCP, though -- the band released 4 classic CDs in the late 80s/early 90s, a best-of compilation a couple of years ago, and rumor has it there might be a box set featuring all 4 CDs, a CD of bonus tracks, AND a video (??!!??) somewhere in the works. They still even get together and play once in awhile. If you find that you like TSOOL, I highly recommend UCP's last two CDs at the very least (if you can find them -- the last CD, Swing, was released in 1992) -- you can kind of see where they're headed. Then, of course, you must also discover TSOOL's first two CDs, Welcome To The Infant Freebase (1996) and Extended Revelation (1998)...

Now that TSOOL, who are sort of, I guess, the "elder statesmen" of this whole Swedish Invasion thing, have accomplished what was previously thought of as impossible -- getting a major label record deal here in the US of A -- it's time to review this re-release, which came out overseas well over a year ago on Warner Music Sweden and was licensed last fall to Hidden Agaenda/Parasol in the States. This release on Republic/Universal is essentially the same as the other versions -- no new songs and no new artwork. Just an updated thank-you list and some logo addition.

For me, listening to BTM with fresh ears is hard. They played in Chicago last month and many of the songs they performed were from this record; they were performed fantastically, of course, but seemed especially meaningful in the context of a live performance. The piano/voice duo of "Tonight", for example -- which on the CD makes me think of an aging scenester with an approaching hangover both celebrating and lamenting his/her status -- has a totally different, loungey feel live. A song like "Sister Surround" (the first single from the CD) has its Stonesy romping riffage totally magnified live. The leadoff track, "Infra Riot" (no, your CD isn't defective) is a killer; it's in your face immediately, reminding you of everyone who was ever good yet sounding like none of them. Feeling just a little Pink Floyd? Try "In Someone Else's Mind". Want some totally modern string arrangements (I can just see keys man Martin Hederos with a pencil behind his ear, arranging) with your gorgeous ballad? "In Your Veins" will do nicely. How about a really intense 60s-style rave-up a la Love? "The Flood" will certainly suffice. And I've recently rediscovered "Independent Luxury", a gem of a 70s-style not-quite-but-almost boogie rock extravaganza. The production and musical sensibility of this band are first-rate; for every show-offy solo, for every bit of rock-star posturing, they offer the small-yet-difference-making touches that let you know they're worthy of all this mushy love stuff -- the backing vocals, the harmonizing, the seemingly-effortless acoustic guitar work that gives the songs more body and soul, and, best of all, the chops to finish what they start... to slay you fully by the end.

You'll play it again. It'll enjoy heavy rotation in yr car and/or home player. You'll find yourself singing -- belting out! -- songs like "Still Aging" and "Mind The Gap" (an anthem if ever there was one). You'll clean your house to it. You'll wonder how you ever got along without it, actually.

Other keywords here: Detroit rock, Union Carbide Productions, Oasis (they toured the US a bit with them this summer), Aerosmith, the Doors, Guided By Voices, Love.

Best damn band on the planet right now. I hear they're returning this fall. See you there.

Simply put, this record captures the vibe of late 60's/early 70's rock as well as anything I've heard -without coming off as pretentious. A bit psych, garage, folk, punk, rock - this record is all over the place but it melds well as one great listening experience. Very well done.

I just got 'Behind The Music' by Sweden's Soundtrack Of Our Lives, and it's actually very good. Think of a swirling stew of influences blended together to concoct something palatable, aromatic, and biting. Everything combined creates something completely different. You have your 60's influences like psychadelia and late period Beatles; 70's rockers like The Who, The Rolling Stones, and Pink Floyd. And hell, I even detect a bit of Britpop...all under one sparkling/melodic groove-oriented framework. And like most stews, although you know the recipe ahead of time, once it hits your tongue, the intoxicating sensation is more powerful than the sum of it parts. You might know the ingredients, but oh, it tastes so good.

Thats funny. Two reviews and both from New Jersey. Go figure. This is a great album. It has a 70's stoney (rolling), floydey (pink) feel to it. I had never heard of these guys until I saw a video on mtv2. I couldnt wait for the album to be released. It is a great listen from beginning to end, which is more than I can say for much of today's music.

The Sound of Our Lives sounds like early Pink Floyd. Its a
rare treat to hear a great sound like this. I grew up in the
late 60's and graduated high school in 1973. This album brings
me back.

The most successful swedish bands, such as The Hives and The Cardigans (or, God forbid, the horrible Roxette), might have given people the idea that swedish music is basic, boring pop music. That is partly true. However, there is more to this rugged nordic country than what meets the eye.

One of the more complex bands from Sweden are undoubtly the Soundtrack of Lives, a brilliant band that doesn't bend to anyone. It's the only explanation I can see why they haven't become the next Oasis (I know, they still exists as a band, but who listens to them nowadays?).

This album is their most easy-listened so far, even is the new album, Origin 1, has promised to be more of a traditional rock album. However, TSOOL isn't a band that can be put into a certain category. They combine and divide the elements of rock, pop, hysteria and pure joy and create something unique.

Behind the music starts off with one of the best opening tracks ever made, Infra Riot. It is followed up by the more complex, but not less mind-blowing Sister Surround. One might have been given the idea that this is just a rock album at this point. These tracks are brilliant, straight-forward rock with a sound that takes the listener back to happier times in rock's history.

But we have begun trodding on a beautiful journey. The band takes us to places seldom explored. We get narcotic tracks filled with what seems to be jibberish, but might as well be philosophical epilogues. There are ballads so powerful even a bitter cynical as myself get tears in my eyes - the latter part of the album is even stronger than the first, if you ask me. And let us not forget that this band can really rock you off your shoes, if they feel like it.

Do I have any complaints? Well, the songs does not form a unity as in earlier works (Welcome to the Infant Freebase!) and some of the tracks might be banalities, if you see to lyrics or the chords. But music isn't a science. It's something you're supposed to feel in the stomach, to pour out while screaming and dancing and crying at the same time. Not many band can bring my heart with sadness and gladness at the same time as Soundtrack can. You can't be a cynic altogether, after all.

I heard about these guys when they blew through town touring with Sahara Hotnights. It was more to throw on the CD changer from Sweden along with The Hives and The International Noise Conspiracy. They are from Gothenberg and are headed by Ebbot Lundberg who looks like Rasputin. When Ebbot was in Union Carbide Productions (Swedes are not good at short titles) he received the applause of Steve Albini and Kurt Cobain. Both bands have been heavily schooled by 1960s garage rock and 1970s punk. But what comes out is the most original music. Behind The Music is their third album, but the record company decided to release all three at the same time. Well, that's fine. Keep it coming if it rocks this hard.

When you throw this down, the song "Sister Surround" shows that they can rock as hard as any outfit now in existence. Though The Soundtrack hates the prog-rock label, songs like "In Someone Elses Mind" and "Broken Imaginary Time" sort of point us in that direction. Obsessions about time and childhood have always been an aspect of British psychedelia. Even the cover art of death masks of each member of the band reminds us that this is a moment in time to be savored. Maybe we should start to rethink our conceptions of time? The Soundtrack doesn't really sound like a retro band at all. The album seems to stop and then begin again with the song "21st Century Rip Off" with deals with the theme of "everyone cheating each other" that comes off as fresh and capricious.

This band does seem to come from nowhere. Songs like "Tonight" and "Ten Years Ahead" even touch upon the singer/songwriter form. "Keep The Line Movin" is a song about freedom and time and fits well with the other songs. They seem well organized with songwriting, guitars, keyboards, and production. This record doesn't seem to let up. Ten songs in you have "Independent Luxury" that seems like a fist raising anthem. There is a balance between acoustic guitar songs and rock songs throughout. The album ends with two ballads "The Flood" and "Into The Next Sun" that seem optimistic and spread a word of hope. The Soundtrack of Our Lives Behind The Music is one of the great moments in new music this year (2002).

(www.freewilliamsburg.com)

Length - 57:26
The Soundtrack of Our Lives make up for their ostensibly derivative sound with a whole lot of instruments, energy and flare. At times this cd grows prolonged and dull, but when the recipe is just right, these guys really rock. The opening track Infra Riot splurges into your ears in a Celtic/Rock & Roll stomp, proffering a fine commencement. Sister Surround is your average rock song, but the next track, In Someone Else's Mind, is something entirely different. The track's airy acoustics and psychedelic lyrics take you right back to the 60s. Pink Floyd first comes to mind when listening to this nebulous introspection. Mind the Gap is quite the rock song indeed, blowing the listener away as the song promises it will- "Cause we're takin' over / If you got nothing to say / Yes we're takin' over / And we might as well blow you away." Broken Imaginary Time is another dose of 60s phantasmagoria, exuding a strange, bleek feeling with the dreary organs, off-kilter drumming and brooding guitar work. 21st Century Rip Off digresses back to the typical rock song formula. Nonetheless, it's still a decent song. Tonight is a wistful piano ballad, further displaying the band's gripping, intelligent lyrics. Keep the Line Movin' has a driving, tribal rhythm, and leads up to beautiful, soaring harmonies midway through the song. Nevermore is my favorite song on the record. In addition to the band's signature stomping harmonies, poetic, incisive lyrics abound, rendering a wonderful and soulful composition. Independent Luxury does a poor job of following a masterful song. There's a nice U2ish ring to it, but other than that fleeting charm, it's just an average rock song. 10 Years Ahead is a palled blend of rock and country with quite a panoply of well-utilized instruments. Still Aging sounds a little bit like the Shins. It's slightly more subdued than the previous tracks on the record, but still a keeper. In Your Veins reminds me of plaintive Phish ballads (Waste, Talk), but it's far more histrionic and dull than those aforementioned tracks. I could do without this one. The flood is an awesome song, my second favorite on the record. Appended to this ominous rock foray are the best lyrics on the album- "They say we're overrated by the things we do / They say we're all backdated and you know it's true / Life is not calling for you / When you don't know where you belong into this world / They say we're complicated / Well, I don't know why / And they say we're all forsaken / Well, at least I try." The dreamy closer Into the Sun is a strong coda. It wraps the album up well, and certainly leaves a starry trail of colorful sound in your mind. All in all, this album is definately worthy of your time and money. My only complaints are that the songs lack continuity, bouncing from one feeling to the next in an overly discombobulated manner. Their are also a few generic rock songs that could have been removed, but they're few and far between, so it's not that big of a deal. 60s wizardry and hearty 90s rock glittered with a multitude of instruments and deep, fiery lyrics is what this album is all about. Give it a try.

This is the real "return of rock".The best album since Radiohead lost their guitars. Buy it NOW!

I don't often give 5 star reviews to "new" bands. They don't deserve it. It's rare that a band can progress within the span of three albums into the next big thing. I'll state it simply; if these 6 Swedes are not the next big thing in the United States, than radio programmers and listeners need to have their heads examined.

To be fair, this really isn't their third album. Some of these guys recorded in another outfit prior to Soundtrack. Nevertheless, it still takes time for a band's sound and distinctive persona to gel. These guys still did it in three albums.

Complex, appealing with hints of bands that came before (The Beatles, The Kinks, The Who, Zepplin, a number of prog rock bands,Barrett era/early post-Barrett era Pink Floyd)none of this really can convey the sound of this incredibly talented band. They rock. Hard. They also write some of the best darn guitar riffs and melodies around. Despite the fact that English isn't their first language, they're also pretty sharp lyricist as well. They make talented garage rockers like The Hives look superficial.

The opening track breaks loose with the strum of acoustic guitars mixed in with a sharp, powerful beat. Then the electric guitars kick in and you're transported to another place. There's no other way to describe it. Over the course of 15 highly imaginative, rocking songs they prove that the rest of the rockers have lost their way.

I'd suggest dipping your toe in the water and picking this album up. After that, pick up the import with the extra EP of 5 incredible songs that DIDN't make the album. If you really like it, move backwards and pick up their other albums.