The Swedes certainly know their stuff about pop music

At first sight

It’s true, the guy on the record cover looks a little upset. The woman next to him, on the other side, looks at us (or rather at the “thing” that might be coming) with rather quite a lot of confidence. And if you are unfolding the cardboard you get to look at another person. It’s a guy who seems a little bit older and it looks like he just gazes at the nothingness in the distance.

At second glance

But actually, the new album by Nom de Guerre, Love Thy Neighbour, doesn’t sound so sorrowful. And the very intense colours of the artwork really connect with the twelve tracks on the album. I know, that probably really sounds cheesy: The colours do sound like a rainbow.. ! We experience forty minutes that sometimes seem a little like Queen, ELO, Scissor Sisters and Mika, but deep down this band really stuck to the early-80s-britpop sound. It’s something we would really miss in the year 2010. What really elates the music nerds is that it isn’t a backward movement at all. And it’s most certainly not just a poor copy of something that has been done before, it’s still original.

The music of Nom de Guerre really gets you and will make you dance. And it also doesn’t miss any depth. In fact, I think the opposite is the case. A story is being told.. The singing, bass, piano and the drums really function well in this combination. Together they tell us about devotion and desperate passion, but also greed and murder. And the very attentive listener will notice some cynicism as well. How else do you think they would have gotten involved with the label Tapete Records? Can we give you all a hint? -Run, Run, Run and get a copy!

Whoever wants to find out a little more should also check their MYSPACE.

text by Eugen Braeunig