Pelle Carlberg - The Lilac Time (Labrador)
3/5
By: Emily Kaiser
If you could scratch and sniff the cover of Pelle Carlberg's new album, it would honestly smell like flowers, and that's not just because of it's name. Appropriately, The Lilac Time, the third solo release from Carlberg, is an unmuddled folk collection with the perk of Swedish pop. The album carries such a field-of-greens attitude it would make even the greatest of optimists sick on too much Hallowe'en candy.
The album was written in an old abandoned church in Sweden and, if there weren't something unbelievable about the helium folk that fills each song, I wouldn't believe that, either. Songs such as "Because I'm Worth It" and "Whisper" attempt a somber melancholia, but still can't hit a semblance of being taken seriously. The smartly-titled "1983 (Pelle & Sebastian)" clearly references Belle and Sebastian and unfortunately makes the uncanny sonic similarity between the two, something not restricted to this song alone, suspiciously non-coincidental.
Carlsberg's lyrics are almost as abandoned as the church that bore this album. 'Animal Lovers' and 'Metal to Metal' are not exactly hefty metaphors. And, wait, did he just say Facebook? Really?
The album coats the surface of music nicely and if it's one of those days you have a screaming hangover with no remedy, The Lilac Time acts as that bubble gum flavored cough medicine. It's most definitely not bubble gum, but nonetheless your head is still numb after taking it.
Artists in this article: Pelle Carlberg
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment