Loney, Dear

Dear John

(Polyvinyl)

Record Review by Alex Pudlin

Sweden is a frigid, expensive land that has somehow managed to churn out far more English-singing musical acts than the other Scandinavian countries. From superstars (ABBA) to two-hit wonders (Ace of Base) to freaky electronic performance art (The Knife) Sweden is arguably the most relevant non-English speaking, English singing country out there (although France deserves mention too). With all the recent high profile indie-Swedes (Jens Lekman, José González, etc) it’s easy for others to slip under the radar. Such is the story of Emil Svanängen, aka Loney, Dear. With four lovely but forgotten self-released albums already under Svanängen’s belt, he now returns with Dear John, a work fully forth of widespread recognition.

Dear John is the type of opus that friends will pass to friends until something approaching buzz forms. On Dear John, Loney, Dear combines the romantic longings of Sufjan with layered synths and an electronic wash that one can describe as “Singer-Songwriter Electronica.” Unlike other sensitive electro-pop acts like The Postal Service or Junior Boys, however, Svanängen crafts all these sounds himself. On “Under a Silent Sea,” Svanängen begins minimal with almost only his voice but gradually adds duck calls and pulsing keyboards until the tracks builds in something (slightly) dancey.  Album opener “Airport Surroundings” bears a slight melodic resemblance to Warren G and Nate Dogg’s classic “Regulate,” but its driving beat, irresistible falsetto backing vocals, and the full music bank of Svanängen’s synthesizer lift the track to fully original heights.

And the bountiful sounds abound even more from there. Bagpipes flip the '80s groove of “Summers” on its head; whistling and percussive cymbal-stand clicks add whimsy to “I Was Only Going Out”; and the smorgasbord of sounds on “Everything Turns to You” renders the song something like an IDM version of Svanängen’s Scandinavian neighbors’ Mew. Yet as intriguing as all this may seem, Svanängen never takes the time to breathe. Thus, when we get to track 9 (“Harm/Blow"), Dear John starts to deflate. The last three songs sound nice, but they lack the dynamic build that characterizes the first 2/3 of the album. Svanängen could have used these gentler tunes to balance some of the busyness of the rest of the album, but as they sit now they feel like hollow tack-ons. On vinyl this may make more sense (with the last three tracks taking up most of the Side B) but as a single-side listen, Dear John noticeably peters out. Until then though, Svanängen gives us seven or eight highly convincing reasons for us to elect him the next it-Swede.