What’s in a name? Well, if the title of Casiokids‘s second album is anything to go by, not all that much. The group are Swedish, and ‘Aabenbaringen over aaskammen’ roughly translates to “the revelation over the mountain;” as such, it’s a moniker more suited to, say, a post-rock record. It conjures up images that are entirely at odds with the band’s sound, but then again, the band who were once known for ‘that one song’, ‘Fot i hose’ are trying to present themselves in a different light this time around, and it’s definitely paid off.
The album, whose title I can neither pronounce or type out unless I look at it first, really has no business being released in January. It’s far too summery for that, and I can’t help but long for warmer weather when I listen to it. It’s an intensely uplifting listen; its instrumental title track, especially so. Meanwhile, ‘Dr. Tarzan Monsoon’ is laid-back and effortlessly catchy, while ‘Det haster!’ is the kind of song that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Metronomy’s ‘The English Riviera’ last year, except that it’s not sung in English.
Yep. In an impressive feat, the group have refused to compromise, and all the lyrics on the album are in Swedish. Credit must be given to them for sticking to their guns, and it actually works rather well, because people who don’t speak Swedish can delight in a record that is musically rich and full of fun. You get the sense that, in a different world, a lot of the material on this album could be potential hit singles.
It’s difficult to pick out the highlight on an album that is so relentlessly cheerful and uplifting, but ‘Golden Years’ (which works just as well in an acoustic setting) and ‘London Zoo’ are particular standouts. Casiokids’s debut album was scrappy and well-intentioned, but they seem to have ‘found themselves’, as it were, and, in any language, ‘Aabenbaringen over aaskammen’ is enjoyable from start to finish. Anyone suffering from January blues should be given this album as a prescription.
Out now through Moshi Moshi Records; stream the whole thing here.
Posted by Gareth O’Malley
