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 Caught in the Carousel - Music Reviews and More
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David and the Citizens
Until The Sadness Is Gone
Friendly Fire Recordings
Singer David Fridlund of David & The Citizens is an energetic, appealing frontman, and his clever observations combined with his blistering delivery charge every number on the Swedish outfit’s new album with breathless desperation. The boy’s got a crack band, too, and whether it’s syncopating drums (“The End”) or a charming bouquet of marching horns (“Silverjacketgirl”)
The Citizens match Fridlund step for step, giving him ample sonic cushioning to lean in and push these songs into the stratosphere. And that’s exactly where they end up: “Greycoated Morning” is a rushing classic; “New Direction” is perfectly played twitchy new wave pop; and “On All American Winds” is a heartbreaking ballad set against a dramatic string arrangement. One of this album’s best qualities is its range. There are indie rock rumbas (“Until The Sadness Is Gone” and “Long Days”), introspective acoustic numbers (“Sore Feet + Blisters:”) and jangly pop winners (“Let’s Not Fall Apart”), all of which are buoyed by Fridlund's coiled urgency. The sequencing on Until The Sadness Is Gone is such that there are no breaks between tracks, leaving one to blend into the other with seamless precision. That being said, what you’ve got here is either fourteen amazing songs, or one big great one. Your call.
—Alex Green
(From Amplifier)
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