Lasse Lindh

The Swedes have done it again, producing another champion of indie pop in Lasse Lindh, a former teen pop star known primarily for his collaboration with Club 8 on their last album. This, his first English-speaking album, is an astonishing piece of work for someone relatively new on the scene. You Wake Up At Sea Tac features some fantastic, expertly produced guitar pop, in the same vein as other Scandinavian heroes like Kent or the Soundtrack Of Our Lives. Lindh also knows how to write a good ballad, like "C’mon Through,” which makes great use of piano in way that might even impress Grandaddy fans. Sounding a bit like Departure/Homer Lounge front-man Tim Keegan, Lindh’s gravely voice takes centre stage here, and for good reason — it carries the melodies cleanly throughout the album. His lazy approach to singing is just the right complement to the varied tempos and melancholic themes of this release. Keep in mind that this is by no means a cheery album, but there still are plenty of rock-solid hooks, especially in the obvious radio-friendly track "The Stuff.” Aside from the nice guitar sounds, Lindh brings together plenty of supporting instrumentation, courtesy of Claes Bjorklund and drummer Jon Lundin. His appreciation for filmmakers in the liner notes makes sense, since he seems to treat music cinematically, taking his broken-hearted stories and developing them into one thematic entity. As a bonus, the North American release has three extra tracks, including the nicely catchy "Rush.” With more of their artists switching to English, the Swedish music scene has been undergoing a bit of a renaissance these days, something we definitely will benefit from.