The Air Hurts When We Inhale
Kent - The Hjärta & Smärta EPRCA Records, 2005
Just a little over six months after Du & Jag Döden Kent strikes again with an EP mainly written during their successful tent-tour. Well, one rubs his hands in delight, puts the five tracks in his playlist, blasts away the first track and then... Nada.
I'm sorry to say it but The Hjärta & Smärta is a huge disappointment. Five tracks and amongst them only one that really leaves a mark on me and that is "Amsgar & Evelyne" which is bound to be a hit. The rest are all transparent and uninspring. It's a somewhat pleasant listen through, except for the second track "Dom Som Försvann" ("Those Who Disappeared") where an awful children's choir shows it's ugly face. If Pink Floyd or Alice Cooper can't pull it off then neither can anyone else.
The opening track "Vi Mot Världen" ("Us Against The World") is as slow and colorless as a Kent song can be. Not a single line or note etches into the mind. If you asked me to hum it now, after 20 listens, I probably couldn't. The last tracks, "Flen/Paris" and "Månadens Erbjudande" ("Offer Of The Month") are almost ecually faceless. "Flen/Paris" sounds just like a mash-up between "Max 500" and "Palace & Main" and "Månadens Erbjudande" is a harmless ballad from the same corner of Jocke Berg's mind that spawned "Ett Tidsfördriv Att Dö För" ("A Pastime To Die For").
It's sad to see idols miss their mark. Again. Next time Kent; put some effort to it!
five out of ten
* * * * *
Babyshambles - Down in Albion
Rough Trade, 2005
How about I don't mention Kate Moss, crack, bar-fights and scandals in this review and focus on the album itself? Everyone good with this? Sweet.
Babyshambles has turned into a myth way before this album was even recorded, and fair enough, with Pete Doherty headlining the group you're bound to attract attention. Could the music live up to the hype? Course it can. The brilliant single "Fuck Forever" caught my attention early on. It has a nerve that I've seen many british bands sharing lately and you could easily trace footsteps from both Franz Ferdinand, Libertines, Kaiser Chiefs and even Arctic Monkeys amongst the 16 tracks this CD consists of. It may not be so fresh and so clean or even particulary innovative, but the rough edge and many powerful songs will keep this album alive probably longer than the singer himself. Of course, there are downsides. 16 songs is a lot, especially when they all sound very alike. Many could easily have been doomed to b-side hell without anyone paying a care. Such songs are "The 32 Of December" or the plain "Loyalty Song". But with tracks like the mentioned "Fuck Forever" and the opener "La Belle Et La Bete" Babyshambles deliver a solid debut. And try to enjoy it while it lasts.
seven out of ten
