Rockin' out with the Swedes

Every once in a while there's a musical album that grabs you by the ears and won't let go.  Whether it's a slow build, first listening to the CD at a lackluster pace, or a dizzying whirlwind of listening from the get-go, there are simply some albums you can't. stop. listening. to.  I'll choose one word to sum up this effect on the listener: resonance.  Such mind-gripping albums resonate with the listener.  Whether it's the sleek musicianship or incredible and timely lyrics, something about such albums grasp you.  Often the songs on such albums take you on an emotional rollercoaster, exploring feelings you haven't been able to articulate or feelings too raw to articulate outside a medium such as music.  On the flipside, songs can find you at your mountaintop peak, contributing to the swirl of joyous emotions welling up inside you.

For me, I discovered such an album this past week in "The Lion's Roar" by First Aid Kit. First Aid Kit represents the stage name of two sisters, Johanna and Klara Söderberg, from Sweden.  Their musicianship is unparalleled.  Drawing inspiration from bands such as Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom, the sisters "string" together absolutely gorgeous harmonies over wonderful folk melodies.  Their instrumentation features prominent use of the pedal steel, the most gorgeous instrument known to mankind.  And, of utmost importance to my definition of a great album, "Lion's Roar" starts off with a bang with the title track and Emmylou yet finishes with even stronger songs, including "I Found a Way," "Dance to Another Tune" featuring a psychedlic folk music breakdown, and "King of the World," a triumphant song featuring brass and the guest vocals of Conor Oberst.

Lyrically, the album is equally unparalleled.  As one review phrased it, the songs of Lion's Roar deal with "the hectic coming-of-age pace by trying to bring life to a halt." The tone of the album is "optimistically languid," while the characters of the folk narratives face fears of "being young and having a lot of hopes and dreams" and of "not ending up alone" in the words of Klara.  Here are a few lyrical snippets:

"Every morning keeps returning at my window / and it brings me to you / and I won't just pass through / but I'm not asking for a storm / I'll be your Emmylou and I'll be your June / If you'll be my Gram and my Johnny too / No, I'm not asking much of you / Just sing little darling, sing with me." -Emmylou (a love song exploring the seasons of love through the temperate weather of Stockholm and allusions to past Americana music legends)

"There's a heavy load upon our backs / of things we carry from the past / my guilt-filled mind, it tried to run / but it traced us back to where we begun / so the morning came / and swept the night away / as I was looking for a way to disappear / amongst the quiet things / and all these empty streets / I found a way to reappear." -I found a way (my favorite)

"At ten in the morning / I was laughing at something / At the airport terminal / at nine in the evening / I was sitting crying to you over the phone / well passing the border from a state to another / filled with people whom I couldn't help to relate to / and we stopped a while at a roadside restaurant / where the waitress was sitting outside smoking in her car / she had that look of total fear in her eyes / and as we drove away from there she looked at me and smiled / I keep running around / trying to find the ground / but my head is in the stars / and my feet are in the sky / well I'm nobody's baby / and I'm everybody's girl / I'm the queen of nothing / I'm the king of the world." -King of the World

Spotify "Lion's Roar," watch their NPR tiny desk concert, and discover the greatness that is First Aid Kit.  Fun fact: they're chums with Karin Dreijer Anderson, one-half of the Swedish electronic band, The Knife.  As such, they cover "When I grow up" off Karin's solo project (Fever Ray).