The Concretes
In Colour

And three.

It's the third album of 2006 that, in a few days, arrives from Sweden right into my player.

This time, after the nostalgic dream pop of "El Perro Del Mar" and the synth pop also dedicated to the retrieval of memorabilia from "The Knife," we arrive at the rock tinged with country folk of "The Concretes."

If the other two were perfect strangers to me, I had news of these from the review by Diggei Brusco of the previous, self-titled debut album.

Diggei started by talking about fury and clamor, "a jumble of disorganized and redundant sounds," and concluded by citing calmness and melancholy.

Quite a conundrum, don't you think? And what happened in the meantime?

Also because here, in the 12 songs of "In Colour," clamor and fury practically never appear. All are characterized by a rather traditional structure, with sounds perfectly "organized" by precise writing. While calmness is undoubtedly a suitable term for part of the tracks, especially those where the bucolic overtones of the country hybridization become more pronounced.

And perhaps, in some cases, one can speak of an ecstatic melancholy, enraptured in the liquid acoustic atmosphere, punctuated by a piano or vintage keyboards.

A large ensemble (how many are there, these guys?) that also opens up to guests (Magic Numbers), embroidering arrangements rich in details, very carefully crafted and often played with a fine pen.

With the aim of making, without colliding but blending with mature taste in the few minutes of what we can define as pop songs, folk elements coexist with sounds and atmospheres almost soul. The horns play an often indispensable role in this game. It seems easy to say, but try a bit, without putting together a confused mixture of ideas and sounds. "Fiction" is, in its own way, a little gem in this sense. And probably my favorite piece, with its swirling finale.

The sensation of déjà-vu is inevitable, from the first to the last track.

But what avoids anonymity is the personality of the voice, not unforgettable but delicate in the clean and effective melodic trajectories, of the singer. And the homogeneity.

Which, as happens with works that have a reason for being, does not fear a closer look at the details, after a few listens, without the homogeneity turning into flatness.

The album would probably have benefited from some cuts. For me, a couple of songs. But it shows us a collective that, in the quality of the writing and the moderation of the arrangements, is charting its path, nurtured by various inspirations all handled with a good dose of lightness, within the now crowded melting pot of reinterpreting rock through folk lenses.

The last note refers to another Swedish guest of "In Colour": Frida Hyvonen. For her album, “Until Death Comes” - 2005 Licking Fingers (the same label as The Concretes), those at Rough Trade bring up Kate Bush. And the unforgettable Laura Nyro.

Just for this, I would give them a little tap on the teeth.

The album, however, almost exclusively piano and voice inevitably immersed in seventy atmospheres, has been spinning in my player for a few days. And, of the small recent quartet arriving from around Stockholm, it's perhaps the one that will secure a more lasting place.

But that's another album. Maybe we'll talk about it again.

For now, if you get the chance, give these eight Swedish guys a shot.

It may be that "In Colour" coincides with an unexpected desire for enveloping, gentle tenderness in the form of songs. Or that, on the contrary, it proves too docile for your senses always in search of strong emotions... So, keep an ear out for the samples.