Album of the month : April 2001
Fireside (S) : " Elite "
( Startracks )
Did Kristofer Åström take an interest in local Pop/rock while touring France in 1999 to promote his « Go, went, gone » acoustic album ? Not so sure, but it wouldn't be surprising judging by some of the songs included on the new FIRESIDE CD. Elevator nation for example, an arresting opener with its crystal clear melody and French dialogue samples, conjures up our late and regretted DIABOLOGUM, while the nostalgic mandolin/ accordion coda of the closing track Take a down irresistibly brings to mind Brittany's finest YANN TIERSEN.
Very unusual references indeed for a Swedish band better known for their American hardcore influences, still prevalent on their last output "Uomini d'onore" (1997) . Actually, "Elite" shows a radical departure from everything Åström and C° ever released before. Not that the guys have lost an ounce of their usual pent-up energy : FIRESIDE still rocks and well, as the propulsive punch of tracks like Hals und Beinbruch or Desolator gives evidence. But their music now bears a distinctive European feel, often reminiscent of bands such as MOTORPSYCHO or dEUS at their most creative : Songs that evolve gradually through various phases and different moods, tackle with new soundscapes, experiment innovative arrangements and - to cut things short - keep you constantly interested and excited by what you're listening to.To list the album's highlights would end up in quoting every single track, and even more, as each number is linked to one another with a short musical sequence just as brilliant and inventive as the songs themselves.
Coming from any American or English band, it makes no doubt that « Elite » would be praised already by critics as one of the year's major release, an album as significant as were « Deserter's Song » in 1998, « The Soft Bulletin» in 1999 or « The Sophtware Slump » last year: Elite, as the title says &....
STARTRACKS AB:
BOOKING AGENT : LUGERINC AB,
http://www.luger.se/
FIRESIDE Unofficial website :www.algonet.se/~klas_b/fireside