The Culture In Memoriam - Hey Ho
Info: Malmö'sThe Culture in Memoriam imparts a 'hard-hitting honesty, relentless politics and a cynical lust for love. Although bursting with full-blown instrumentation and pompous arrangements TCIM never loses it's intimacy and naked nearness to its listener.' The Swedish act have recently released the their latest album History's Dust, a pop-laden collection of tracks with more serious observational currents flowing beneath the fun.
TCIM outline what you can expect on History's Dust immediately with the albums opening title-track, lush Scandic pop filled with joyous melodies, anthemic choruses and chugging guitar break-downs. A mash-up of fellow Swede's The Hives and The Ramones (not just the songs title) follows on the rip-roaring and in your face single 'Hey Ho' (above video), crashing cymbals and a call-to-arms chorus blasting your ear drums in the most pleasant way, before landing in with a reprieve two thirds in.
The chaos subsides on the more mellow offering via 'Born Lame', deliberately twee, it has a Polyphonic Spree / Flaming Lips hue, again TCIM make use of choral vocals to infuse uplifting tones to their music. 'Her Voice Rising' then moves into more sombre spaces, and is probably the first up front example of the serious topics they address in their lyrics and themes. Another single from the album 'We Will Always Love You' hits folk-pop notes, there's a Leonard Cohen feel to the youthful vocal chorus, a song of hope with a Breton tinge.
The Culture In Memoriam - History's Dust
'Oh My, Why' is a lovely slice of decade-traversing pop, from Beach Boys to contemporary, it's hazy and invigorating, simple but ticks all of the boxes whilst following track 'Black Mask' dips its toe in 60's psych-folk, King Crimson springs to mind here. The Culture in Memoriam sing-off as they began, but this time with added guitar-rock thrown into the mix, 'All For Nothing' gushes with ecstatic joy to the point of being overwhelming. On History's Dust the Malmö band have perfectly struck the balance between happiness and seriousness, a ying and yang collection of songs that achieves what it set out to do and celebrates their pop roots with aplomb.
Look / Like & Listen:
Website: http://www.tcim.se/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tcim
