FRANKE OPTIMISMENS HÅN ALBUM SERVICE RELEASE: APRIL 28, 2003 REVIEW: MAY 3, 2003

I feel sorry for those of you out there that doesn’t speak Swedish. Apart from the thunderous attack of Franke’s guitar driven gloomy rock, one of the main reasons to listen to this Swedish group is the lyrics. Filled with angst, questions and answers they sometimes make me think of the texts of great Swedish author Stig Dagerman, sometimes of all the lyrics from every great teen angst band in the world. But most the time they make me think of Franke, and almost weep because of the sheer, dark beauty of the words.
But, enough of that. On with the music. And great music it is! Franke pays homage to every rock group that raised a guitar and looked down at their shoes in the 80:s and 90:s - mainly to Jesus and Mary Chain. They borrow from every band that sounds like they live and sing in a garage or a closet. But most of all they sound like a bass-driven explosion with guitars that scream and want to make your ears bleed. They knock knock knock and demand your attention with their disharmonic soundscapes, and when they have it they won’t let go. When the 35 minutes that is the sum of Franke’s ten songs are over, you are not sure what hit you. You just find yourself on the floor, mutilated, bleeding and crying. Then you stagger to your knees and press play again. The music is so great it transcends any language barriers, speaking to a primal need to scream, feel and to rock’n’roll. At the moment, this is as good as it gets.

KALLE MALMSTEDT