Search - Acid House Kings :: Sing Along With Acid House Kings

Cardigan rock

W. Davidson | Melbourne, Australia | 02/17/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ah, Sweden - the gift that keeps giving. As if it wasn't enough to bestow the world with The Cardigans, flat-pack furniture, the adjustable wrench and the fabbest four of them all (do I really need to name them? Shame on you), the list of delights continues with the sweet musical charm that is Acid House Kings.



With their family-portrait-meets-knitting-pattern album sleeve and strangely inappropriate name (that conjures up images of a dance act) Acid House Kings are in fact melodic summery guitar-pop confection. Their music is nothing groundbreaking and frankly, you've heard it all before. There's nothing remotely challenging or fussy about their 12 songs in 36 mins pop style, but somewhere in their simplicity and familiarity lies the absolute genius of their music.



Sharing a musical kinship with indie labels such as Sarah and Parasol and pop acts such as Belle & Sebastian, Saint Etienne or Birdie, it comes as little surprise to find they feature members of the Euro pop groups Red Sleeping Beauty and Club 8. Sing Along With Acid House Kings is most successful when they showcase the honeyed vocals of Julia Lannerheim but the milquetoast vocals of Niklas Angergård also have an anaemic charm that grows on you. Stand out tracks are 7 Days which will surely tempt the use the CD track repeat button, My Heart Is a Stone with a swinging rhythm and unexpected stuttering pauses and Tomorrow is Forever - disco-lite featuring Niklas and Julia's call-and-response vocals and yet another knock-out chorus.



This is note-perfect indie-bubblegum that defies you not to love it by the third spin. Initial quantities of the album come with a bonus DVD of exclusive videos made by the band (mostly in their living rooms it seems, would you expect anything else?) and karaoke versions of all the songs. Uncomplicated, clean-cut, utterly unpretentious and entirely lovable, Acid House Kings are set to soundtrack Summer trips to the beach, afternoons dozing in the garden or at the very least to calm your nerves and sing a long to while putting together that Leksvik coffee table or Billy bookshelf.

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Reaching their full potential

M. Lohrke | Provo, UT | 05/25/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"the last AHK album, 'mondays are like tuesdays are like wednesdays' was, for lack of a better word, a 'cute' album. it was snappy and cheerful and sometimes a bit too twee for its own good. however, the displayed moments of brilliance, particularly in the songs, 'sunday morning,' and 'she keeps hoping.' it was a sign that the band, including the brains behind club 8 and the legends, johan angergard, was capable of something truly great.



fortunately, 'sing along with the acid house kings,' capitalizes on all the best bits of 'maltalw,' expands on its sound, ditches the cutesy vocals and quasi-nauseating strings in favor of a more straight-forward sound. the album's opener, 'that's because you drive me' is a perfect pop songs. it begins with a driving acoustic guitar (if such a thing is possible), and leaves the decorative piano decorative. 'do what you wanna do' is the clear album standout. it's a three minute exercise in pop perfection. there's a very fine line between pastiche and authentic. 'do what you wanna do,' which could have resulted in the former, stays firmly planted in the authentic. it's an utterly brilliant song, complete with handclaps, shiny guitars, and a flawless chorus. it represents what AHK do best: ridiculously catchy pop songs. 'this heart is a stone' ventures into the slighty cheesy, but the chorus ultimately saves it from failure. other standout tracks include 'london school of economics' and 'tonight is forever,' the latter a disco-inspired stomper with some skilled guitar work and as alwasy, the incredible chorus. AHK are all about pop songs, and no one does it better.



all in all, 'sing along with the acid house kings' is a great step forward in the band's evolution. the second half of the album could've been stronger, but with each album johan creates (whether it be with AHK, club 8, or the legends) he seems to grow as songwriter and musician. those who've not yet jumped on the johan train would be well-advised to do so. he's making the best pop music on the planet."