Various - Seven Summers

  by Tommy Gunnarsson

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

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Review

I think that it is very interesting to hear tweepop from other countries than the ones that usually provides us with great records and great tunes (i.e. United Kingdom and the US),. Living in Sweden doesn't make it easy for you to find the singles or albums by good bands from "strange" countries. So, these kinds of compilations are an excellent way to catch up with what's happening on the international pop scene at the moment. On this, the second volume of the International Pop-series, Kindercore has compiled an excellent bunch of songs by bands from such fine countries as Spain, Germany, the US and (ta-da!) Sweden. No surprises there for all of you who usually look in the tweepop-section at your local recordshop. But how does it sound then? Well, let me put it to you this way: if you're the slightest bit interested in tweepop/indie-pop/C86 (or whatever you prefer to call it), this is a good bargain. 23 songs, all of them happy and guaranteed to wipe away any dull faces. So, any highlights then? Yup. Kindercore's own Masters Of The Hemisphere provides the brilliant song "My Cloud", which is just as good as any of the tracks from their debut album (which, by the way, I really recommend). And my old favourites, German popsters Brideshead (the Anglo-Saxon version of Elegant), contribute with "Shampoo Bubble", where you really can tell the singer isn't singing in his own native language. But that doesn't really matter, does it? As long as the song is good (and it is), the pronunciation can be bad as Hell. Other nice songs are Mumbly's "Demain, The Best Wishes' "The Best Sort Of Wishes", Kincaid's "Trackside", Airport Girl's "I Never Liked The Look Of You" and Hey Paulette's "Inconsequential" (whose singer croons like Edwyn Collins, but hasn't really got the voice to match him). Any tracks worth skipping? Hmmm, actually there is. I really think that there are too many tweepop-bands that has a lead singer (girl in this case) with a sugary voice that makes them all sound the same. OK, there may be some good, sometimes even great, songs, but that voice makes me skip their contribution and move on to the next song. Some examples on this CD are the opening track La Buena Vida, #Poundsign# and the Swedish band Acid House Kings, a band that has provided us with some brilliant tunes in their past, but nowadays I just find them boring. A shame, don't you think? Anyway, to make a long review short, buy this album if you are into the tweepop movement. If you're not, well wake up!

Track Listing:-

1 La Buena Vida : Tarden De Café
2 Masters Of The Hemisphere : My Clould
3 Super : All American Cheesecake
4 Poundsign : Ayso
5 Mumbly : Demain
6 Shoestring : Theme From "Kiss Me Goodnight"
7 Brideshead : Shampoo Bubble
8 Best Wishes : The Best Sort Of Wishes
9 Acid House Kings : Paris
10 Kincaid : Trackside
11 Airport Girl : I Never Liked The Look Of You
12 Hey : Paulette : Inconsequential
13 Silent Boys : Saturday
14 Crooner : A Warm Day In June
15 Watoo Watoo : Golden Castle (Acoustic)
16 Bunnygrunt : My Darling, My Jackhammer
17 Den Baron : Position No 1
18 Cessna : Explain To Me Again
19 Die Elektros : Kmpferin In S Bahnzgen
20 Gritty Kitty : Summer Rain
21 Sugargliders : Everybody Supermarket
22 Red Sleeping Beauty : You Are Kind
23 Legendary Bang : Love