The Sounds, 'Crossing the Rubicon'

Swedish group delivers shiny, shallow disco-pop enjoyment

By Matt Pais

Metromix

Release date: June 2, 2009
Record label: Original Signal
Official Web site: http://the-sounds.com/

The buzz: Anyone already feeling overloaded with hipster-friendly dance outfits best move on. Swedish quintet the Sounds are rising in America, with their last album, 2006's "Dying to Say This to You," debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart; they’ll tour this year with Fall Out Boy and No Doubt. Fronted by blond dynamo Maja Ivarsson, the band’s shimmering, synth-backed grooves aim to get tiny hips to swivel in their skinny jeans.

The verdict: Tracks like "4 Songs & a Fight" have their own sexy swagger, destined to make people under 30 bounce in unison. Yet Ivarsson’s voice doesn’t have the conviction of, say, A Camp’s Nina Persson or Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell, rendering emotional pleas like those found in "My Lover" as detached and impersonal. Only when Ivarsson's over-produced voice is able to soften, such as on late-disc tracks "The Only Ones" and "Home Is Where Your Heart Is," do her words sound like confessions rather than empty promises. There’s no doubt the repetitive, modern disco stomp of "Crossing the Rubicon" will put feet on the dance floor; still, this is a record less deserving of a close listen than a busy light show.

Did you know? Blender once called Ivarsson the "Hottest Woman in Rock." And Metromix agrees. Debate!