The Concretes Issue #27

The Concretes in Colour (Astralwerks)

By Garin Pirnia
Published: March 1st, 2006 | 12:00am

“Say something new,” sings Swedish band the Concretes over images of clothing for their Target-based ad campaign. The band lent the infectious song from their 2004 self-titled record for a slew of commercials, but the Concretes are better than their commercial status. On their latest album, The Concretes in Colour, the group tries to say something new, but end up recording a facsimile of their previous endeavor.

The album begins with lead singer Victoria Bergsman’s confection-coated voice singing “On the Radio,” a song with a piano- driven “Daydream Believer” sound to it’. Bergsman and band sing about love in a sunny pop style with catchy rhythms but do not allow the sound to consume them. “Chosen One” shines with the contagious and repetitive lyric “Have you seen my chosen one? If so, tell him I’m in for love,” while “Greydays” segues into alt-country territory with keyboards, a fiddle, and an acoustic guitar being strummed in time. The first minute of “Fiction” is completely instrumental as jazzy horns and keyboards blend in with a guitar and eventual vocals. The final track, “Ohh La La,” hits like a New Pornographers song with an array of harmonies and fluidity.

The Concretes sound akin to fellow Swedes the Shout Out Louds because of their poppy ruminations on love and life, yet the Concretes exude more Carol King balladry than dulcet pop songs. The Concretes aren’t doing anything disparate here, but they’ve found their niche doing what they do best.