KENT
HAGNESTA HILL
ALBUM RCA, BMG RELEASE: DECEMBER 6, 1999 REVIEW: DECEMBER 17, 1999


Oh no, another rave review of Kent. How exciting. But what can I do? They leave me no choice. They have done it again. Their fourth album is their fourth masterpiece.
"Hagnesta Hill" is named after the area in Kent's old hometown Eskilstuna where they used to meet and play. And the album is in some ways a trip back to their roots. I figure they need to remember what Kent was all about in the very beginning. Since they became celebrity rockstars, life is very different from what it used to be.
Kent are more experienced and confident now and they sound a bit more polished and produced. Harmonica, trumpet and disco rhythms shows up. But except for these tiny details, they are the same as always. And why change a winning concept?
I have had my doubts however, about how many melancholic rock songs Kent can write before they get boring. Why not include more electronics to vary the sound picture, for instance? But when I listen to "Hagnesta Hill" all hesitation is blown away. As long as Kent sound this strong they get no argument from me. Kent is about good songs. Everything else has lower priority. Even though the sound, image, lyrics, singing and so on is great anyway, of course.
"Hagnesta Hill" is a complete album without any poor material, but there are some songs which caught my attention the first time I heard them.
The first single, the hit "Musik Non Stop" was impressive at first glance, and now after I've heard it perhaps a hundered times I love it. Thank god for that - the song shows up everywhere: on radio, TV, in restaurants, shops... I even hear it from the neighbour's apartment. But it's plain impossible to get tired. That's songwriting.
In "En himmelsk drog" Kent partly steals the song writing of others, since this retro song is built out of Kraftwerk's "The Model". Normally I disapprove of thefts like these, but here I surrender completely.
Then I must mention the fast "Revolt III" or the heartbreaking "Stanna hos mig". And a nice addition to the CD: a multimedia part with the good looking "Musik Non Stop" video, lyrics, pictures and some other stuff.
If you live outside Scandinavia: the English version of this album will be released next year.

MIKAEL KAHRLE