Review

Hats off to Sweden’s Dieter Schoon, a man who crams more ideas into one song than many bands manage in an entire career. Better still, he pulls off this scattershot approach without it sounding forced or irritating – for the most part. Thus, opener ‘Manuel’ throws throbbing electro, Spanish folk and free jazz horns into the pot. Yes, it sounds ridiculous on paper, but it works. There’s no let-up: ‘Mary Jane’, for example, sees mariachi trumpets rub up against whimsical indie-folk and frantic breakbeats. Best of all is ‘Everyone Must Leave’, a lovely, slow lament that would make Jason Pierce proud. Schoon’s skittish methods can be exhausting, and the lyrics are completely, utterly ludicrous throughout, but hey, you can’t have everything. Neill Dougan

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DOWNLOAD: ‘MANUEL’, ‘EVERYONE MUST LEAVE’.
FOR FANS OF: BECK, SPIRITUALIZED.

Posted on: April 1, 2009