SPARK ETT LEJON I DIG ALBUM SELF-RELEASED RELEASE: MAY 18, 2009 REVIEW: JUNE 23, 2009

For the last years Swedish EBM has grown, much thanks to a vital live scene that has provided an audience for the bands. If you want to grow as an electronic band in Sweden, and doing it the classical way by playing shows, releasing demos and slowly developing then this scene is alive and kicking.

And from that scene we now have Spark (Kick in Swedish). They play classic EBM of the slightly more pop oriented kind, with melodies that you learn in about 15 seconds. They write lyrics in Swedish and this is where this band really succeeds. Other have tried this before, but no one combines good lyrics, good music and good vocals like Spark do. They are accessible with their minimalistic production and the lyrics is a nice blend of seriousness and humour.

Three tracks really stand out here, first there’s “Det goda livet” (The Good Life) where they take on a more modern sound that slowly and effectively pounds us to the ground. Then there’s “Glassbilen” (The Ice Cream Van) where they show that just because you have a sense of humour, it’s doesn’t have to become silly. The story about the van wrecking havoc in the middle of the night is said to be based on a true story. Weird thing happens in small Swedish towns sometimes… And after that we have “Produktion Nonstop” (Production Non Stop) which might be one of the strongest EBM tracks to come from Sweden in many years. It’s nice to see that new things still can happen when it comes to the classic sounds.

OK, so this is isn’t really all new and creative, but the even quality is what stands out here. This could very well be the perfect party album for the summer. Even if you don’t understand a word.

TOBIAS ELIASSON