MR JONES MACHINE ÅTERVÄNDSGRÄND ALBUM PROGRESS RELEASE: MAY 9, 2007 REVIEW: MAY 9, 2007

A Dutch friend of mine joined me to the Tech Noir club last fall. After a while he noted with a certain disdain that it felt like almost every song played was cheesy Swedish synthpop. And it’s true; we have a pretty unique relationship with sweet and blippy pop in the vein of early Depeche Mode and Yazoo for example. And Mr Jones Machine proudly continue this tradition.

To read up on the members of Mr Jones Machine, check out the Spotlight I did on them when the debut album was released. So what has changed since then? Well, all and nothing. They still make classic, epic, elegant and grand synthpop in the style of early new wave acts, but this time Jarmo Ollila sings in Swedish. This move has been debated in some circles, but I think it works. I subconsciously register the lyrics a lot easier, and they have a certain poetic quality that I like. This album is also a lot more coherent than the debut, and holds up really well from beginning to end.

Several of the tracks here could be hits, first and foremost “Augustiljus”, an upbeat and haunting piece of pop brilliance that deserves recognition. Many more could be mentioned, but you should discover them for yourself.

I guess my Dutch friend won’t buy this, but I suggest you do.

JOHAN CARLSSON