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Despite what their name suggests, I’m From Barcelona aren’t from Barcelona at all. They’re from Jönköping ... in Sweden. The 27-member group are all friends of lead singer, Emanuel Lundgren. Inspired by Kiss releasing four solo albums in 1978, Lundgren had the idea to have every single member of his band produce a solo recording, these songs comprise 27 Songs from Barcelona.
I’m From Barcelona have a rather unique sound; usually around ten members of the band are singing, three on saxophone and a decent sized orchestral group (with a couple of mandolins and accordions thrown into the mix). With their first album, Let Me Introduce My Friends, they showed off a mix of happy sing-along pop tunes. And with their second, Who Killed Harry Houdini?, they developed a more grown-up, and slightly darker edge to their sound without losing their catchy lyrics and positive message. I must say, however, that it’s hard to look at 27 Songs as their third album; it’s more like a big, long list of singles.
The first of the 27 Songs, ‘Lower My Head’ by Daniel Lindlöf, comprises a heavy thumping drum beat that builds into an epic crescendo that really catches your attention. It’s followed up by Anna Fröderberg’s track, the embodiment of short and sweet; the fact that the song’s only a minute and a half long with a happy vibe makes it highly reminiscent of material from their first album. Rounding off the impressive opening trio is Tina Gardenstrand ‘s 'Baby Let's Go'. This instantly reminded me of another great Swedish pop group, Hello Saferide. I’ll always love a high-tempo song with catchy lyrics ('I could go to Paris, I could go to Rome, 'cause anywhere will be home'). It’s hard to listen to this without letting it put a smile on your face!
The remainder of the album, ending with some stunning dreamlike melodies from Julie Witwicki Carlsson, is equally impressive. Highlights include the striking vocal talent on show in Emanuel Lundgren’s ‘Hang On’, and ‘Best Days Are To Come’ by Johan Aineland. Mattias Johansson’s offering is worth noting as a captivating piece of electronica, and Jakob Jonsson’s love duet (with Marlene Strand) is one Jose Gonzalez fans will love. Kristoffer Ekstrand’s song, ‘UHOH’, is perhaps my favourite of the collection, simply for its uniqueness; it just has a beautiful individual flavour. I was also caught by the soft, sleepy qualities of Frida Öhnell’s ‘Morning Again’ and the distinctive country feel of ‘Make Me A Cowboy Again’ by Henrik Olofsson, a characteristic enhanced by the use of mandolin and harmonium.
The album isn’t without some awkward moments. Erik Ottosson’s ‘Zapatista’ is an instrumental mess while Christofer Olofsson’s song felt too much like lounge music for my liking. Another odd one is Olof Gardestrand’s ‘My BPM Might Be Off, But My Heart Is Running Like a Clock’. The longest song of the lot finds itself somewhere between Indie Rock and Death Metal, and at one point Gardestrand mumbles the lyrics to ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’. A little confused? I think so.
After a couple of listens, however, almost every track appeals in its own different way. ’27 Songs’ does a great job of proving the versatility of the band and it shows that, despite the large size of the group, musically and creatively there's barely a weak link in I'm From Barcelona.
All the songs from the album are available for free download from I’m From Barcelona’s official website.
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