Shout Out Louds Issue #33

Our Ill Wills (Merge)

By Jeremy Ohmes
Published: September 1st, 2007 | 12:00am

Remember when mentioning Sweden and music in the same sentence meant you were either talking about ABBA or Ace of Base? My, oh my, the Swedes have sure come a long way. Nowadays, the sparse Scandinavian nation is synonymous with second-to-none indie rock, churning out a smorgasbord of bands like Dungen, the Concretes, and, of course, 2007’s biggest indie success story, Peter Björn and John. And if the latest from Shout Out Louds is any indication, it looks like those crazy, herrin’-lovin’ Swedes aren’t slowing down anytime soon.

With a splendiferously frisky pop album (2005’s Howl Howl Gaff Gaff) already under their belts and steady touring with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, the Strokes, and Kings of Leon, Shout Out Louds are ready to reel in the hip-shaking set with Our Ill Wills as their lure. Simply building on the same bouncy melodies and rollicking rhythms from their debut, the five-piece know how to barely mess with a good thing: Keep the pop as catchy as it’s always been, and add cowbell. The hooks and harmonies still burrow in your brain and lead singer-guitarist Adam Olenius still sounds like Elmer Fudd right after he thinks he’s got the upper hand on the wabbit. And thanks to the crisp-as-arctic-air production of Björn Yttling and some well-placed percussion courtesy of John Eriksson (the Björn and John in the above-mentioned trio), the music of Shout Out Louds dances between your eardrums like, well, a dancing queen.