Customer Reviews

Sing Along With Acid House Kings

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There's truth in advertising and then there's Acid House Kings. Those looking for acid house on this disc are sure to come away disappointed. Indie-pop fans, however, will find a wealth of sweet, summery goodness, akin to Scotland's Camera Obscura or fellow Swedes the Concretes. "Sing Along With" may be too cute for some, what with all the hand claps, finger snaps, and tambourine shakes, but Acid House Kings never succumb to self-parody. To paraphrase Johnny Rotten: "They mean it, man."

Don't let the group's name fool you. This is breezy and beautiful pop music with intelligent lyrics and glorius melodies that you can truly sing along with. You'll have a hard time getting these songs out of your head. If you like this CD, you won't go wrong if you also buy any of their other CDs.
There is a special edition of "Sing Along with the Acid House Kings" that comes as a 2 disc set; one disc is the regular CD and the second disc is a DVD with videos of all the songs in both the sung versions and karaoke versions. Lyrics are present on the videos to help you sing along but it won't be long until you'll know the lyrics by heart. In addition, there are 3 bonus videos of songs from their other CDs.
The Acid House Kings are the #1 pop group in Sweden and for good reason. If only US pop could be this good.

Ah, Sweden - the gift that keeps giving. As if it wasn't enough to bestow the world with The Cardigans, flat-pack furniture, the adjustable wrench and the fabbest four of them all (do I really need to name them? Shame on you), the list of delights continues with the sweet musical charm that is Acid House Kings.

With their family-portrait-meets-knitting-pattern album sleeve and strangely inappropriate name (that conjures up images of a dance act) Acid House Kings are in fact melodic summery guitar-pop confection. Their music is nothing groundbreaking and frankly, you've heard it all before. There's nothing remotely challenging or fussy about their 12 songs in 36 mins pop style, but somewhere in their simplicity and familiarity lies the absolute genius of their music.

Sharing a musical kinship with indie labels such as Sarah and Parasol and pop acts such as Belle & Sebastian, Saint Etienne or Birdie, it comes as little surprise to find they feature members of the Euro pop groups Red Sleeping Beauty and Club 8. Sing Along With Acid House Kings is most successful when they showcase the honeyed vocals of Julia Lannerheim but the milquetoast vocals of Niklas Angergård also have an anaemic charm that grows on you. Stand out tracks are 7 Days which will surely tempt the use the CD track repeat button, My Heart Is a Stone with a swinging rhythm and unexpected stuttering pauses and Tomorrow is Forever - disco-lite featuring Niklas and Julia's call-and-response vocals and yet another knock-out chorus.

This is note-perfect indie-bubblegum that defies you not to love it by the third spin. Initial quantities of the album come with a bonus DVD of exclusive videos made by the band (mostly in their living rooms it seems, would you expect anything else?) and karaoke versions of all the songs. Uncomplicated, clean-cut, utterly unpretentious and entirely lovable, Acid House Kings are set to soundtrack Summer trips to the beach, afternoons dozing in the garden or at the very least to calm your nerves and sing a long to while putting together that Leksvik coffee table or Billy bookshelf.

Swedish indie pop group Acid House Kings, by the year 2002, already had two albums under their collective belt. But it wasn't until third album "Mondays Are Like Tuesdays and Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays" that the band honed their distinctive twee style into a cohesive mixture of delirious hand claps, sunny guitar melodies, and late night fireside lyrics.

You probably wouldn't guess that from their moniker, which admittedly recalls some obscure stoned seventies garage rock group rather than a cheery European twee band.

Though founding member Niklas Andergard provides much of the vocals, some of the best tracks are helmed by relative newcomer Julia Lannerheim. Lannerheim's assuaging voice trickles along the melody of the song like creekwater, lending an already soothing track an airy springtime feel.

"Say Yes If You Love Me" is rife with lyrics that would typically induce eye-rolling in the hands of another artist, which makes covering the work of Acid House Kings a tricky business at best. Within their artful hands, however, the track instead induces a knowing smile. It's a song that should be pegged as a one-off soundtrack single for a children's film, but it is so blissfully pleasant adults will keep it for their own.

Sing Along with Acid House Kings displays an even more dramatic creative growth for the band. Nearly every track is a standout, and as a bonus the album comes packaged with one of the most uniquely tailored companion dvds in recent memory.

Continuing the "sing along" theme the title suggests, the dvd features the band performing mundane tasks such as reading the newspaper and making coffee while a karaoke-style lyric banner assists the viewer with the sing along. Also included are a couple of promotional music videos.

With the consistently lengthy period between albums and many of its members extending themselves into outside projects, such as the excellent Club 8, it's unlikely we will hear from Acid House Kings until somewhere deep into this year if even then. Here's hoping we hear from them soon!

My brother discovered this band for me and I was hooked instantly. This CD has that easy, power-pop sound that is fantastic. Buy it!

A co-worker whose taste I vaguely trust turned me on to the Acid House Kings' "Mondays Are Like Tuesdays And Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays" CD -- which is a soft-pop MASTERPIECE! AMG rated "Sing Along With..." even higher, so I had to check it out. I was sort of disappointed on first listen -- I heard handclaps that felt out of place, rhythms that seemed disjointed -- lots of catchy little hooks and melody lines, but lacking the cohesion of the tracks on that earlier album. I gave it a couple more spins in my car stereo and can honestly say I've started to warm to it a bit. The songs are all pleasant -- particularly the first couple -- though none grab me as hard as the best stuff on that first album. If Amazon allowed half-star increments, I might give "Sing Along With..." 3 1/2 stars instead of 4, but I'd give "Mondays Are Like Tuesdays" 5 stars (or at least 4 1/2)! I say start with that one if you don't know this band. If you are already a fan of Acid House Kings, "Sing Along With..." is further evidence that they're one of the best soft-pop/alterna-pop/indie-pop bands out there (it just takes a little longer to get into).

Acid House Kings' "Sing Along With The Acid House Kings" is a little cheesy, yes, but they still manage to create some pretty unique, fun and catchy tunes. Comparisons to The Kings Of Convenience wouldn't be unwarranted, as it's relatively similar, but Acid House Kings tend to use more instruments and production (pianos, drums occasionally, etc). It's a very nice and mellow album which arguably loses a little steam towards the end (though it's all good, the first set of songs are great - a couple are a tad questionable (see "Sleeping")). Most will like the male vocalist, but the female vocalist isn't *as good* I would argue (she's still pretty good, but compared to him there's an obvious difference). The lyrics are also surprisingly fun and interesting (and occasionally emotional). I'm giving this "5" stars for four reasons - it doesn't really sound like any other band today, all of it's good, it's a pretty mellow/relaxing album and "That's Because You Drive Me" is just a great song. Most people will like this, pop fans especially. Highly recommended! If you liked this album then chances are you'll LOVE practically any Kings Of Convenience album.

Highlights include:
everything except "Sleeping"

the last AHK album, 'mondays are like tuesdays are like wednesdays' was, for lack of a better word, a 'cute' album. it was snappy and cheerful and sometimes a bit too twee for its own good. however, the displayed moments of brilliance, particularly in the songs, 'sunday morning,' and 'she keeps hoping.' it was a sign that the band, including the brains behind club 8 and the legends, johan angergard, was capable of something truly great.

fortunately, 'sing along with the acid house kings,' capitalizes on all the best bits of 'maltalw,' expands on its sound, ditches the cutesy vocals and quasi-nauseating strings in favor of a more straight-forward sound. the album's opener, 'that's because you drive me' is a perfect pop songs. it begins with a driving acoustic guitar (if such a thing is possible), and leaves the decorative piano decorative. 'do what you wanna do' is the clear album standout. it's a three minute exercise in pop perfection. there's a very fine line between pastiche and authentic. 'do what you wanna do,' which could have resulted in the former, stays firmly planted in the authentic. it's an utterly brilliant song, complete with handclaps, shiny guitars, and a flawless chorus. it represents what AHK do best: ridiculously catchy pop songs. 'this heart is a stone' ventures into the slighty cheesy, but the chorus ultimately saves it from failure. other standout tracks include 'london school of economics' and 'tonight is forever,' the latter a disco-inspired stomper with some skilled guitar work and as alwasy, the incredible chorus. AHK are all about pop songs, and no one does it better.

all in all, 'sing along with the acid house kings' is a great step forward in the band's evolution. the second half of the album could've been stronger, but with each album johan creates (whether it be with AHK, club 8, or the legends) he seems to grow as songwriter and musician. those who've not yet jumped on the johan train would be well-advised to do so. he's making the best pop music on the planet.

To start off this album is extremely catchy. You can easily see oneself singing along after only a couple of listens. It is somewhat reminscent of oldies style melodic pop, something I think they pull off very well. The music is very simplistic and voices fairly angelic, as was the case in 50s and 60s pop. Although I don't dislike this album it really isn't my taste in music. It is something I would listen to in the background and tap my foot to, but I really don't see myself going out of my way to listen to it. If you are one who enjoys simplistic, melodic, enjoyable music I do not think you will be disapointed. If you are someone like me that enjoys more jam-band style music then you may want to stay away, but if you do not stay away you may see yourself tapping your toe as I do.