It’s hard to imagine a better declaration of principles than the first phrase that you read on the website of the Swedes SPEEDMARKET AVENUE; it’s a self-definition which goes as follows “a pop music collective led by a little guy who looks like a cross between Charles Manson and Marc Bolan.” The fact of the matter is that this Swedish band is going to be, without a doubt, one of the musical references of 2008 for all POP lovers in capital letters, with a perfect concept of melody, putting them in the same ballpark as THE AISLERS SET and THE FAIRWAYS; jangle-pop with precious wind arrangements, played with freshness and emotion. Their second album, “Way Better Now,” produced by Jari Haapalainen (member of HEIKKI and THE BEAR QUARTET, but also producer of ED HARCOURT, INTERNATIONAL NOISE CONSPIRACY, THE CONCRETES and CAMERA OBSCURA, with whom these Swedes collaborated on their last album, “Let’s Get Out of This Country” ) is a demonstration of inspiration of a band able to aim in the same way the girl-groups of the 50’s did (THE RONETTES in “The State of Harmony”) and the shoegazers (“Sirens” evokes memories of SLOWDIVE), managing immediately with intelligent melodies, intensity and textures ("Way better now," "Accident" and "Don’t fall in love" are inevitable singles). In conclusion, similar as to how one can read a book over and over again in different ways, the new CD allows the listener to apply his or her own form of listening to the album: the patient way, the urgent, immediate, energetic or melancholic way...This richness is what makes the second album of SPEEDMARKET AVENUE so grand.
