Customer Reviews

Isola

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The CD-cover with the aeroplane showed up and became a musical master piece, a classic album in every Swedes record-collection. When I look back at kents old albums I cant find any similarities compared to Isola which raise the group to what I call perfection. Then when you thought kent had reached perfection at the most limited kent -rate of what a classified album should sound like, they did it again... Trust me, the next album is such a wonderful musical journey that makes Isola look like a small dot on the Italian map. With a big smile on my face I'm happy but still surprised that kent continues to reach new heights and develop into one of the Swedish bands I'm most proud of and kent will always be by my side in my head phones when I want to listen to high quality music.

Summary: Isola is a timeless album. The music is very melancholic with new refreshing sounds such as the lyrics which is refined to me as the most beautiful ones ever written in the Swedish language, but it's significant to remember that there is really a huge difference between the English and Swedish lyrics so I can't admit that I adore the English version as much as the Swedish one, although the translation turned out to remain very kentish ; - )

Kräm on kentare around the world !

YES radiohead is great, yes the smashing pumpkins are great.. but to compare Kent to either one of those bands, or any other band is a disgrace. You can't see Kent as yet another "radiohead" or another european pop band. Simply put, they are in a league of thier own and it would be unfair to compare them to anyone else. It is also a discrace to say they are just "another trendy american pop band" nothing could be further from the truth! there is a reason they don't get any airplay in america, they are to good. ISOLA is a great album with overwhelming emotion that you can feel through his voice, every song has meaning and feelings. If you want an album that you can honestly feel good about spending your money on this is the one. Also, be on the lookout for thier newest release called "Hagnesta Hill" this is another great album that we can only hope will be released in English.

Largely ignored in the USA (except for some college radio stations), Kent's album Isola is, five years after its release, still one of the best cd's I've ever heard. There aren't many cd's that have been made in the last ten years that make you feel like you've rediscoverd music...that there's still something beautiful being created out there. Belle & Sebastian's "If You're Feeling Sinister" and Bright Eye's last two albums have also had that kind of effect on me. Kent's sound is both sonic and ethereal with lyrics that are surprisingly good, especially considering that the English version is translated from Swedish and still comes across with more intelligence and relevance than 90% of american musicians. Curiously, Kent's follow-up to Isola, entitled Hagnesta Hill, sounds older and less mature...though there are many tracks that make the album worth buying. Isola really is worth every penny...if only to discover that music can transcend and still rock these days.

this album...this band...this music... I don't know where to start. When I first heard of Kent from a record exec friend of mine I thought they would be yet another radiohead wannabe but when I got the album and listened to it I was delighted that I was wrong. To compare them to bands like Oasis and The Verve would almost be a sin...don't get me wrong...I like those bands but Kent has something that those bands can't offer. I don't know if it's writting ability or an overabundance of creativity that they are blessed with but they stand out from the crowd like no other band today. I'm glad they don't get any radio play in the states for 2 reasons...1...the average U.S. radio listener isn't ready for music like this...2...if U.S. dj's got a hold of this and actually understood how profound this album is they would play it out in no time. Please...do yourself a favor and buy this album...don't waste any time listening to samples...just buy it!

I have often found myself bored and cynical with new music because 95% of it is generic. Once in a while a special album comes along and completely changes my faith. Radioheads "Ok Computer", Blurs "Parklife", the self titled Stone Roses and recently Kent "Isola".

The magic of this album comes from its ability to sooth the wounds inside. Its the kind of rare occurence that comes around once in a while, just when you thought things could not get any worse. It completely restores faith in new music, and keeps us wanting more.

Isola has almost too much good material, ranging from, dare I say it, mainstream radio tendencies (If you were here, Bianca) which are infectuous songs that should deserve plenty of attention, but never did in North America. "Before it all Ends" is an ecclectic masterpiece that wholeheartedly consumes the listener into a black hole of emotion.

One phrase to sum up Isola: A large monumental sound. The finale "747" breaks into a 5 minute frenzy of guitar feedback and heartpounding drums...yet Kent has the ablity to make it all so gentle. Each song has unrealized potential. There is a tension present, the listener can sense a cresendo of sound building, building, and exploding shards of sonic guitars, lyrics, and then the next song begins nice and quiet again. Now parallel that to a roller coaster. There are the giant rises, free falls, and when the ride is finished we all want more.

The only disadvantage Kent has is the lack of exposure to the masses. Perhaps it is better this way because something this rare and special should belong in the archives of great albums...not as a forgotten commodity as something remembered in Billboard with Mariah Carey et al.

I first heard a song by Kent earlier this year on 97X out of Oxford, OH. After hearing it a couple times I picked up Isola, and it hasn't stopped being one of the main albums I listen to since. For me, this CD has nearly the same effect that Mother Love Bone's "Apple" did...at once addictive, soulful and accessible. It has been many years since I felt like there might be something new out there that could do that. Kent's "Isola" is hypnotic. Lyrically, it rivals anything out there in its genre...impressive when you consider English is, at best, the band's second language. Musically, there are subtle touches that elevate this album to something inspired. Each of the bandmembers play at least 2 instruments, and their skill and ease is evident in every song. This album simply 'clicks' like Nirvana's "Nevermind", Pearl Jam's "10", the Afghan Whig's "Gentleman", etc. Kent doesn't sound like any of these bands. Rather, they found a way to make their music lush and full of the little things that make good albums great.

Yes this is indeed a VERY good album. Two weeks ago I would have given it 5 starts, no doubt. However, I just bought Kent's new album "Hagnesta Hill" a few days ago. In my opinion, it is a notch better than Isola and deserves the 5 stars.

Hagnesta Hill is still only available in swedish and I don't know if it is possible to get it outside of Scandinavia. The style is almost identical to Isola, but the quality of the album as a whole is better. To those of you who like comparisons, I immidiately thought of some of the quiet Smashing Pumpkins stuff when I heard the record. In addition to that there is the (well documentet in this forum...) influence from The Cure and Radiohead.

Too bad these guys are from Sweden. Had they been English or American they would have been HUGE.

"Hagnesta Hill" won't dissapoint you. Buy it whenever you get the chance.

... I was pleasantly surprised and purchases both their US releases. A very well done album that has great guitar undertones and is masterfully played and sung. This disc hasn't left my coffee table (actually a wooden crate) in almost half a year. As someone who listens to a lot of music and worked as a DJ on an alternative radio station this CD should be getting more aclaim, but the geniuses on the radio these days are playing ...[others instead]... This just reinforces my intention to own or manage a real alternative radio station in Chicago...we need it.

I was first introduced to the band, Kent, in early 1999. They opened for the Cardigans, a fellow band also originating from Sweden. After the first song I heard them play, I was on a mission to find their album. When I listened to their first U.S. release 'Isola', I was amazed at every songs' enveloping trance. I immediately chose it as one of my favorite albums of the year. The melodic calming nature of the album seems to find its way on my stereo quite often. I feel very fortunate to have this album as a part of my music collection, and I can guarantee that others will as well. Kent is currently one of the most popular bands in Sweden at the moment, don't hesitate to make them just as popular in the U.S.!

when i first heard this group on XFM playing 747, i was amazed, this group rocked. after that i spent 2 months looking, ordering and trying to find this album, finally after buying it in HMV i listened to it and was dumbstruck, this is the best album i have ever heard! every single track is excellent with some mellow, some a bit more upbeat and rocky but all good, i cant stop listening to it, i recommended it to all of my friends and they all love it, i discovered an excellent band in their view, i think everyone should go out and buy this album (or stay in and buy it from here, heh) but please buy it, if they sell more, they'll be encouraged to play more, something ill be looking forward to with much anticipation. so please, on my advice, get this, it is SO good.