Loney Noir

Loney Dear | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 6, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sub Pop
• ASIN: B000M06K84
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,110 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Loney, Dear is the somewhat confusing nom de pop of Swedish "multi-instrumentalist and audio homecooking expert Emil Svanängen." His voice is reedy, high-pitched, and strong, so it's understandably the focal point of these quaint, home-recorded orchestral-pop numbers. Loney, Noir is technically the indie-pop ingénue's fourth full-length, but as his first three albums were originally released in Sweden as CD-Rs, it's understandable if even devotees of chamber-pop and/or the fertile Scandinavian music scene were ignorant of this genuine talent prior to this album's release. The songs tend to start simply--voice and guitar--and to snowball, slowly adding pump organs and horns and backing vocals and hand claps until they swell precipitously with sweet, contrapuntal sounds. The arrangements never get out of hand, however, and always work in harmony with these smart and achingly melodic songs. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

Multi-instrumentalist and home-recording phenom Emil Svanängen lives in Sweden and he makes records and plays shows under the somewhat inscrutable name of Loney, Dear. In either his tiny Stockholm studio apartment or the basement of his parents' house, and with a dedication bordering upon manic, Emil discreetly builds Loney, Dear songs using a modest home studio set-up. In this way he has recorded and then released himself on CD-R four albums in the last two or three years. He has managed to sell several thousand of these, pretty much on his own. The music of Loney, Dear has been aptly described as, "soulful indie folk with a powerful mini orchestra." Layer upon layer, adding instrumentation and vocals, these songs seem to bloom like time-lapse photography, depicting glimpsed scenes of modern disaffection and timeless yearning. When performing live, Loney, Dear becomes the band Emil conjures alone in his home studio, and mutates into a full, five-member band complete with guitar, sax, drums, organ and clarinet, shouts and claps. Loney, Noir is the most recently recorded Loney, Dear album. It is at once effervescent and resigned, exhilarating and melancholy, joyous and confessional. And we are under its spell.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blew me away, February 16, 2007

By 

Aaron W. Hatch "fresh big mouf" (Provo, UT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Loney Noir (Audio CD)

I'm a lover of music and a producer of some, and this album totally blew me away. I think of Emil's vocals as like Brian Wilson, only one octave higher; or like Grandaddy, except less stylized and drawn out. The rhythms are almost fidgety, but steady nonetheless. What is amazing about this music is the way Emil builds a storm using sounds not usually found in pop music these days. Clarinets, saxophones, baritone snare drums, glockenspiels, barking keyboard bass, and odd percussion are layered gradually through each song to create wonderful compositions. Each song is like a mini party, with a warm up at the beginning, a huge development part, a climax near the end, and a cool down to finish it up. It's electronic music unplugged, it's fast woodsy party rock, and it's fantastic pop. Emil's lyrics are understated and catchy, poignant only when they need to be. Sub Pop seems to be promoting this stuff well, so I hope people catch on. I can't wait to hear what comes out next!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Breath of Fresh Air!, March 9, 2007

By 

Cale E. Reneau "audiooverflow.com" (Conroe, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Loney Noir (Audio CD)

Someone take me to Sweden. It seems like the indie music world is starting to be flooded with Swedes. And they're all fairly awesome. One of the country's most notable exports is Emil Svanängen, or as he's referred to here, Loney, Dear. "Loney, Noir" was my first introduction to the artist, and I must say that I'm fairly impressed. In the relatively short time that the album runs, I found myself captivated, impressed, and wanting to take that trip to Sweden more than ever. By the end of it, however, I was at peace. "Loney, Noir" is one excellent album.

It begins with the solemn, yet hopeful "Sinister In A State of Hope." Svanängen's voice is strong in character, yet utterly fragile; sounding like you could shatter it with the slightest breeze. A breathy tenor, he sings earnestly, "All I want is a state of hope," and your heart breaks. The first single from the album, "I am John" is a much more upbeat affair, but no more uplifting lyrically. Svanängen mutters, "And I told you, I was never gonna let you down, never gonna let you down. But I will always let you down." The song climaxes with the smooth roar of a clarinet, drums, and tenor-goodness. It's a beautiful song, and a wonderful introduction to anyone who hasn't heard the artist yet.

"I am the Odd One" begins with the artist lamenting, "I am sorry, honestly I'm sorry, I ruined your day." The song continues with subtle whistles, the familiar clarinet, and a gentle guitar progression and is both inspiring and depressing when Svanängen sings "You got it wrong, you took a glance at me, said I'm the odd one" in the chorus. It's followed by the standout track on the album, and the incredibly remarkable "No One Can Win." The melody here is gorgeous and slowly builds into an all out heartbreaker. A line like "The sun never reaches here. The shadows have won, " is standard whiny indie rock fare, but when Emil sings it with every last bit of humanity within himself, it comes off as poetry of the utmost grandeur!

The album continues with short reflections like "I Will Call You Lover Again" and "The Meter Marks Okay," while also adding in another captivating song in "And I Won't Cause Anything at All." It possesses a steady electronic beat that complements Svanängen's voice perfectly, each at their most-subtle. The album seems to begin like a breath of fresh air. It ends here like a much-needed exhale. Softly, it is released, and it is gone. The experience of listening to "Loney, Noir" is just as refreshing.

The album bleeds with his frailty, and one can't help but think that that's part of it's appeal. While people could compare him to Bright Eyes in many ways, Conor Oberst seems almost fraudulent when compared to Loney, Dear. Perhaps it's just his more-accessible voice, but Svanängen has surprised me by crafting an album that is not only beautiful, complex, and gut-wrenching, but undeniably charming. 2007 continues to impress with so many stellar albums being consistently released. "Loney, Noir" is one of the best so far. I've still never been to Sweden, but I feel about as close to it as ever.

Recommended for fans of Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens, I'm From Barcelona, and anyone who needs a breath of fresh air in music form.

Key Tracks:
1. "Sinister In a State of Hope"
2. "I Am John"
3. "Saturday Waits"
4. "I Am the Odd One"
5. "No One Can Win"

8 out of 10 Stars

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic. I love this album., January 31, 2009

By 

Lars Hayne (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Loney Noir (Audio CD)

Listen to this album, and you will like it. It's not just that Loney, Dear (aka Emil Svanängen) has crafted the most infectious acoustic pop you'll likely ever hear; it's that when you listen to the album, you feel as if you don't have a care in the world. Something about the earnestly optimistic tone of the music and Svanängen's almost child-like voice practically lifts you up into the clouds. That's not to say it's all fluff, though. On the contrary, Loney, Dear's arrangements are richly layered with an eclectic selection of wood-windy instruments and percussion, and the songwriting is undeniably innovative. Some have said that the Internet age marked the decline of excellence and variety in music. Loney, Dear (who got his start recording in his living room and distributing CD-Rs) makes a pretty strong case that the opposite is true.