*SIXEYES REVIEWDavid Fridlund's debut, Amaterasu, (hidden agenda/parasol) is soft and sweet melancholy, set to beautifully presented music--everything from 'questioning lover' piano pop to Nick Drake/Simon & Garfunkel/Elliott Smith 'What if?' blue-ballads. Fridlund is the key member behind Sweden's favourite piano-and-power-pop band, David & the Citizens, which have been riding a wave of love from the Scandinavian press since their formation five years ago. Amaterasu opens and moves through the midlands strongly with "April and May", "Knives", "White Van", and "Busride & Carsick", standing out. "April and May" being a near perfect little pop song with heavy elements of cabaret and beer parlour sing-a-longs in the chorus. A seemingly slim song with Fridlund's and (guest vocalist) Sara Culler's singing, Fridlund's ringing and roaring piano, and Rickard Flygel's simple, but elegant double bass playing-- it draws it's strength from a catchy melody and Fridlund's obtuse lyric. Amaterasu offers 14 tracks (13 actual songs) which is quite a span to fill with good, memorable songs and Fridlund does falter now and again, but that fact is far outweighed by the abundance of music you will want to hear again--plus the fact the disc has the rousing track, "3 Pictures (Of You & You & You), tucked into the second to last slot. If you like indie-ish piano pop ballads and thrumming headlong rushes into glassy piano runs, then you've found a shiny, smooth, green-glass pebble amongst an ocean side of stony brothers and sisters. + april and may [mp3] + april and may video [windows media] * both courtesy of parasol.com ---------------------------------- |
