MELODY CLUB SCREAM ALBUM VIRGIN RELEASE: NOVEMBER 8, 2006 REVIEW: NOVEMBER 13, 2006

Christmas is closing in, bearing with it all sorts of expectations. Snow that will actually cover the leaf infested lawns, a couple of days' needed vacation and, somewhere within us all, great Christmas presents!

"Scream", Melody Club's weary follow up to acclaimed pop biscuits "Music Machine" and "Face the Music", is like one of those gifts you initially thought would make your day, but turned bitterly sour the minute you opened it. You know you got great treats from these people in the past, but this one simply does not cut it.

Melody Club have gone from quirky, albeit light-weight, pop to a viciously bland stew of rock'n'roll, disco and sub par pop cliches. "Destiny Calling" promised, although it did sound much like a clone of earlier works, but "Scream" invariably comes up short. The Swedish five-piece, headed by vocalist and song writer Kristofer Östergren, desperately tries to infuse new ideas and sounds, but the end result disappoints. The few exceptions, like the aforementioned single and "The Last Girl on My Mind" echo of past glory while the attempts to develop falter into oblivion.

Strike one, guys!

NIKLAS FORSBERG