artist: Acid House Kings | genre: indie pop | label: Labrador Records
Album: Music Sounds Better With You [itunes link=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/would-you-say-stop/id417884796?uo=4″ title=”Acid House Kings – Music Sounds Better With You”]
In 2007 Labrador Records released a Summer Sampler via bit torrent. I don’t even remember where I heard about this Sampler, but I do remember deciding to download it on a whim. And then wow! I found a whole new sub-genre of music that I instantly fell in love with. I guess you’d call it Indie Pop, but with a definite Swedish flair. (Labrador Records is based in Stockholm, Sweden; and, as far as I can tell all their acts come from Sweden.) For me, Acid House Kings both epitomizes the sound, but also stands a peg higher than the rest. Brothers Johan Angergård and Niklas Angergård and sister-in-law Julia Lannerheim comprise the now Kings trio. Joakim Ödlund seems to have fallen from the lineup.
Four years after my first introduction to Acid House Kings, they are finally releasing a new album. Music Sounds Better With You continues to deliver everything I love about them. Their music is irrepressibly catchy; so easy to sing along to. And what you may first mistake for a simple pop tune, is actually quite sophisticated with layers and layers of plush sounds. Maybe I’m being fooled by the album artwork, but I swear I keep hearing castanets throughout the album! It’s details like that which make you want to listen to each track over and over again. And I’m not sure why, but I always seem to fall for bands with multiple vocalists, especially ones that mix male and female (à la The Beautiful South).
Music Sounds Better With You is available via Amazon and iTunes. [itunes link=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/would-you-say-stop/id417884796?uo=4″ title=”Acid House Kings – Music Sounds Better With You”]
– DMitch
Comments
2 responses to “Music Sounds Better With Castanets”
Hi!
We’re happy that you enjoyed the album. We think it’s the finest music we’ve made to date. And yes- you’re right; there are castanets on every single track on the album.
Julia (of the AHK)
Thanks Julia! The castanets really are a clever touch. Thanks for confirming that for me. I agree this album is your finest work. I know several tracks are going to join my other all-time favorites by you guys. I still quite often listen to “This Heart Is A Stone” and “Do What You Wanna Do” from your Sing Along With Acid House Kings album and “Say Yes If You Love Me” from your Mondays are like Tuesdays and Tuesdays are like Wednesday’s album.
– DMitch