The Embassy
Tacking

Coming from icy Sweden, more precisely from Gothenburg, this pair of talented young men have reached their second album dated 2006. Practically unknown elsewhere, in the last year the Embassy have risen to the status of true national treasures, complete with features and interviews in local press and networks. Accustomed as we are to the Anglo-American duopoly, it's never easy to embrace any musical work from another country, let alone from Sweden, which isn't exactly known for producing musical geniuses.

The chilly cover and even more so the shabby booklet, where there are basically only the track titles, cast an aura of mystery around this band, leaving us in a sort of knowledge limbo that only listening to the phonographic support hopefully can soothe. The curiosity, faced with such an enigmatic object, is great and the fear that expectations will be unmet (excuse the pun) is equally palpable.

Despite being at the bare minimum, a point in favor, in my modest opinion, is the measured duration, contained in just 31 minutes. It may also be a fixation of mine, but CDs that go beyond 45/50 minutes give me a sense of terrible anxiety, regularly confirmed by a series of useless, if not annoying, fillers.

To clear up any misunderstandings, let's say right away that we are talking about finely crafted pop-dance. The inevitable reference that the Embassy evoke in their rhythmic digressions is that of the Pet Shop Boys of the late eighties, Actually/Behaviour period to be precise. It may seem incredible, but even the singer's nasal tone somehow recalls Neil Tennant. The opening track actually reminds one of the typical technology of New Order, immediately dispelled in subsequent sequences by techno-dance rhythms in a clear eighties style. The highlight of the entire album seems to be "It Pays To Belong" where danceable meets a truly enviable melodic line, while "Information" flatters the easier and more carefree Cure.

If we agree that this kind of music neither detracts nor adds to the pop-rock universe, it is equally true that it is not easy to present these sounds and melodies without falling into the banal and trivial. It can be said that the Embassy have crafted a product that adheres to the axiom just stated.

In conclusion: recommended for those who love technological sounds and dance rhythms, for those who want to have fun with music, and for those, like myself, no longer young, who remember past times with pleasure while living in the present. Not recommended for everyone else, especially the too gloomy ones who consider music a really serious matter.