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KENT
TILLBAKA TILL SAMTIDEN

ALBUM RCA, SONY BMG RELEASE: OCTOBER 12, 2007 REVIEW: OCTOBER 18, 2007


To consistently be on top of the game both popularity wise and quality wise for ten years is something not many bands can pull off. Kent can. What's more, they manage to maintain their special Kentness while moving their sound forward, this time by introducing more electronics than ever before.

Some people say it's not the same Kent anymore. Nonsense, I say. Joakim's intriguing lyrics and unique voice is still there, there's still quite a lot of guitars, and the melodies are still undeniably Kentish. The electronics have a bigger place than ever before, that's true, but I can understand the band's wish to move on and not do "Du & jag döden part 2". And it's not a surprising move either. They have dabbled with synthesizers a lot before, and their love for Depeche Mode has been widely known for a long time. And when I interviewed Martin and Markus, they claimed to be fans of electronic dance music.

Opener "Elefanter" is a slick, dark and gritty number, and possibly my favourite on the entire album. Especially the outro, with its glittering guitars and trumpets on top of the electronic beat and bass. "Vid din sida" is something of a wonder, with its mesmerizing verse and sticky refrain. "Columbus" is a bitter and grey portrait of Stockholm, with a waltz beat that later turns into a softer version of "I Feel You" by Depeche. And the chorus is true perfection. This might also be my favourite track, actually… hmm.

From the black uptempo of "Berlin" to dancey "Vy från ett luftslott" via dreamy "Sömnen", this album has variation enough for the most restless of souls, and there's precious few negative things to say about it. I'm not completely sold on "Generation ex", and "Våga vara rädd" had to grow on me for some time, but man, what an achievement this is.

I'm still prepared to say that "Du & jag döden" is a slightly better album – with "Mannen i den vita hatten" – one of the best songs ever. But this is a necessary step for Kent, and they have pulled it off brilliantly.

JOHAN CARLSSON

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