Shoot! Another great band featured in a national T.V. commercial! When will it stop? I guess these ad agencies have good taste in music after all, but where do they find them? I thought bands like the Concretes were reserved for hardcore fans ordering indie records over the Internet from across the ocean. Oh well. I don't know what you think about commercials on the television, but I'll tell you what you should think about the Concretes: they're solid (pun was just too easy).Yet another band hailing from Sweden, these indie popsters have nailed their sound rather well, with a mix of the Sunday's, Mazzy Star and even a little Chieftans. Layourbattleaxedown is a collection of impossible-to-find b-sides and other rarities that thankfully have finally been gathered together in one place for the entire world to hear.
I love a great female-fronted band, and the Concretes have an irresistible female at the front. Victoria Bergsman has a very soothing style, and it gets me in every one of these songs. Carefree by default, it has a quiet but powerful essence to it that, when singing, demands attention.
Not to be missed, and perhaps the centerpiece of this collection, is the blissful cover of "Miss You" from Jagger and company. The Concretes melt this once hip-shaker down to it's brooding core, and the result is a fantastic, surprisingly simple tune that's effective and potent in its pretentiousness.
It would be impolite to call this rock and incorrect to call it pop, but perhaps closer to warm in calling it perfect music for a hopeful pop future. Simple arrangement is the ideal ingredient here, and the Concretes have already perfected it. If this is indeed the future of folk-pop, they have a bright future.
