The
Wannadies
Outburn
The Wannadies
Before & After
(Cooking Vinyl / Hidden Agenda)
7
Indie
Power Pop: The Wannadies haven’t made their
mark on the American indie scene like they have Europe, but
this Swedish five piece has quietly released over a decade’s
worth of quality albums. Their latest, Before & After,
is divided into two halves, half for your indie pop day,
and the other half for your more subdued indie pop night.
Their arrangements are simple, and rely greatly on Beatles-esque
boy/girl harmonies, but there is a freshness and excitement
to their delivery that makes their music special. All of
the songs are reminiscent of their track off the 1996 Romeo
+ Juliet soundtrack “You & Me Song,” but
quite a few years on their formula is no worse for the wear.
Every track on this album is solid. The opener “Little
By Little” is a car jam of the highest order, showcasing
a glam filtered Weezer riff that few can make sound this
good. Their pop is as catchy as it comes, but still leaves
the listener with a feeling of great emotional depth below
its bubblegum surface. Hopefully this is the record that
will persuade the US audience to backtrack and check out
the rest of The Wannadies catalog.
~Michael Cameron
PhiladelphiaWEEKLY.com
The Wannadies
Before and After
HIDDEN AGENDA
Famous
in their native Sweden but merely cult favorites here,
the Wannadies have flirted with worldwide stardom a
few times (see the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack, which instead
launched the Cardigans). They eventually took a breather
after some label disputes, went truly bittersweet on 1999’s
cathartic Yeah, and returned in 2002 with the head-bobbing
Before and After, which is only now seeing Stateside release.
And it would have all the momentum of a comeback album if
it weren’t for the band’s questionable decision
to stock the first half with upbeat anthems and the second
with sleepy ruminations, intended as a night on the town
and the quiet morning after. As expected, then, the first
six songs are cheekily luminous, teeming with as many punch
lines as hooks. Even the obvious angst of “Piss on
You” is parlayed into a shimmery sing-along. Rather
than coming off dreary, the album’s second half is
pleasantly loungey, aided by waves of flowery instrumentation.
More often than not, frontman Par Wiksten’s rhyming
seems overly simple, with a few too many mentions of summer,
but all that is to be expected from a band once hailed as
the second coming of ABBA.
(D.W.)
Exclaim!
The Wannadies
Before & After
Narrowly
avoiding the tagline of “what-ever happened
to…?,” Sweden’s the Wannadies have arrived
to bring back the joy they spread years ago with “You & Me
Song.” Without cashing in on the latest Scandinavian
garage craze, they’ve stuck to their guns, churning
out the finest in tasty melodic power pop. Though their last
album may have thrown some fans, rest assured that Before & After
picks up right where 1997’s most excellent Bagsy Me
left off. Adding a nice twist, the Wannadies have chosen
the first part, Before, as a collection of upbeat rock songs. “Skin” and “Piss
on You” do their jobs, using the band’s wacky
sense of humour to make the lyrics extra playful. After then
exposes the sensitive side of the Wannadies without resorting
to wimpy balladry. “Disko” reverts to a classic
Cure bass line to capture the mood and “Love Letter” offers
the listener a perfect love song to use on a mix-tape for
that extra special someone. Before & After is a strong,
consistent album that welcomes back these beloved Swedish
popsters.
(Cooking Vinyl, www.cookingvinyl.com)
Cam Lindsay
Amplifier The Wannadies
Before & After
Hidden Agenda (parasol.com)
Recorded
in 2002 and previously only available as a pricey import,
the Wannadies’ Before & After is finally
coming to discerning Stateside pop fans. Envisioned by the
band as “an album of two halves intended for picking
you up before the evening starts and helping you unwind as
it closes,” the “Before” side is full of
the very best of 21st century Swedish pop delights. The irresistible,
exuberant “Little By Little” finds the band wearing
their collective heart on its sleeve, while “Nothing
Wrong’s” mechanical, Gary Newman-esque instrumentation
is countered by the warm, humanistic vocals of Par Wiksten
and Christina Bergmark. Similarly, the happy, head-bobbing
sound of “Piss On You” stands in contrast to
the song’s mean-spirited lyrics. After all of this
fun, the “After” side can’t help but be
somewhat of a letdown. The band gives it their best shot
the atmospheric lounge-core of “Disko” is intriguing,
and “Singalong Sun” is a psychedelic sing-along
with a dash of Sgt. Peppers-esque horns. Elsewhere, the moodily
contradictory “Happy” sounds even bleaker following
the bubbly songs that opened the disc. A fine effort overallbut
if Before & After were a vinyl LP, I’d spend most
of my time on side A.
--Rick Schadelbauer
Harp
The Wannadies
Before & After
(Hidden Agenda)
Plundering
the treasure chest of pop’s rich past is
nothing new. But when a band successfully draws from every
significant pop trend in the past 40 years and still manages
to concoct a sound that is contemporary and exuberant, eyebrows
raise. On its sixth album, Before & After, Swedish quintet
the Wannadies taps into ‘60s bubblegum, ‘70s
new wave, ‘80s synth pop, and the current indie ethic,
effortlessly incorporating them into a hybrid that quivers
like Brian Wilson producing the Strokes. “Disko” hums
with Bachrach-meets-Brit-pop verve, “Piss on You” welds
Lou Reed minimalism to swinging new wave, while the infections “Skin” nails
a brilliant vision of the Cars as a downtown New York band.
It’s a rare band that can effectively access pop’s
glory days without bogging down in nostalgic rehash. The
Wannadies does it with a waggish sense of lyrical humor and
a wicked sense of its own unique identity.
Brian Baker
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