- Artist
- Loney, Dear
- Label
- Regal
- Release date
- 16th April 2007
- Genre
- Indie/folk
Swedish multi-instrumentalist makes uplifting, symphonic magic from his bedroom
Emil Svanängen, the Swedish singer-songwriter behind the Loney, Dear moniker, could become a hero to bedroom musicians everywhere. Recording away in his apartment and parents’ basement since 2002, Svanängen would self-release hand-wrapped CDRs and sell them on the street. Word of mouth interest eventually saw his work ethic rewarded, finally sealing a deal with Sub Pop in 2006.
Thus Loney, Noir is actually the fourth album he’s made – and it’s not hard to see why the labels caught up with him. Svanängen might work at home but forget lo-fi amateurism – Loney, Dear deal in big, melodic and airy indie-folk backed by sparkling, multi-instrumental arrangements. Acoustic guitar anchors this album but its playmates come in at all angles: woodwind, handclaps, glockenspiels and child-like falsetto harmonies enrich Svanängen’s Brian Wilson-like arrangements. Starting small and intimate, they build layer upon layer around infectious hooks towards the most satisfying of crescendos. It’s uplifting stuff.
Song-wise, these are tales of the sweetest optimism tinged with disaffection and almost adolescent yearning. Recent, Belle & Sebastian-esque single I Am John, with its chorus of "Never gonna let you down, but I will always let you down" ensure Loney, Noir always subtly shies away from the saccharine overload it could be taken for on initial listening. Elsewhere, the catchy Saturday Waits tempers its sweet summery strum with the squelchiest of electro bass licks while standout No One Can Win is an anthemic waltz that makes loss sound somehow noble.
What is it with Sweden and its knack for wistful, melancholic pop beauty? Is it something in the water? Or all those months of darkness trapped indoors? Whatever it is, Loney, Noir is yet another great Scandinavian advert for staying in.
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