Loney, Dear

Loney, Noir

(Sub Pop)

Record Review by Marcel Feldmar

Sneaking quietly out of Stockholm, Loney, Dear is the name chosen by multitalented Emil Svanägen. Though hailing from the same town as the Cardigans, Emil shares more musically with bands like Travis and Radiohead, though he’s coming out of a small apartment style home studio. The second song, "I Am John," would not, however, sound out of place on a Belle & Sebastian album. From sparse and orchestrated to full and poppy, the moods change, but still come together to create a full length album that you can just sit down and listen to.

After moving past the two songs - the first atmospheric, the second upbeat and poppy - Loney, Noir moves into a mellower combination of those styles, but slowly building in scape and scope, and then drifting down into a soft farewell through the last two songs. Dynamic and spacious sounds mix with a solid beat and forward moving rhythm. While recording, Emil seems to manage to place together all of the instruments himself – from electric guitar and drums, to strange flute sounds and handclaps. Live, on the other hand, a full band is employed to create the same effects that are conjured up in either Emil’s studio apartment, or, in some cases, his parent’s basement. The vocals are nice and smooth, and almost ache, and they wind through the melodies effortlessly. Getting a release on Sub Pop for this fourth Loney, Dear album is a very good thing, I think. It will move nicely alongside bands like Band Of Horses and The Shins, while adding some more lo-fi shine to the world of music around us. It’s like a little cool breeze, upbeat and yearning at the same time. Indie pop for happy sad kids.