A trio composed of three producers from Sweden who collectively have composed songs for Britney Spears, Kylie Monogue, Jennifer Lopez, Maroon 5, Kelis and Madonna have decided to make their own project entitled Miike Snow. I found it strange at first that a band composed of super producers would do indie music, but upon hearing they were from Sweden it made more sense. Sweden is the #2 exporter of music in the world and they have quite and indie music scene, so the pieces fell in to place upon hearing this.
The album opens up with a bang as the hit single “Animal” caresses you with its amazing lyrics and sweet calypso rhythm. This song took me so off guard and I had to play it on repeat numerous times just to soak in the blend of music in this mix. The lyrics touch on the darker side of human life claiming “I change shapes just to hide in this place, but I’m still, I’m still an animal.” and “There is a hole and I tried to fill it up with money, money, money.” The song reminds me of Vampire Weekend, but only this one. Not many others do. My favorite part of this song is the reggae style drum pattern. Hardly any snare, with just a bouncing kick and driving hi hat.
After this song the album gets progressively worse. The amazing blend of calypso/indie rock turns into shameful U2 80s new wave garbage. Don’t get me wrong. There are some track on here that are worth the listen. Burial, Song For No One, and Black & Blue have driving rhythms and are somewhat enjoyable, but they are still lacking. Towards the end of the album the songs get even stranger turning into terrible 8-bit synth songs.
Sometimes super powers teaming up actually detracts from their genius. I feel like this is the case with Miike Snow. If they would have stayed on course with the sound of “Animal” and “Burial” I could see the album being wonderful. However, their tendencies gave in as most of the album turns into synth driven power pop that really isn’t that good. Not to mention when they do that they enter into a completely different market then what most people thought they were.
As a designer I also have to talk about the album cover. All I have to say is “What the hell?”. Its a silhouette of a Jackolope in an ice cube. This makes no sense in any way, and also this artwork doesn’t come close to fitting the band’s image at all. I would have much rather seen some strange indie artwork for this release instead of frozen mythical mammal treats for your mojito.
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Thu, Aug 27, 2009
Album Reviews, Music