Loney dear … ##a to ##b directions. ###

A woman reviewed my third album Sologne in early 2005 or 2006. I had already made the album Loney Noir finished. She described my works as whining and emotional-oholic. It made a deep impact to me and i felt like i was robbed on my language and emotions. What i felt was wrong, partly because i was a man.

I don’t think it hurt me in the long run, it has been a long road around all this, but i guess i’ve returned to this now. In the good way. Man (woman!) we suffer here, we are disappointed, we are sad! (!). What else could we write songs about other than the sadness and the darkness. To keep it away, to keep us sane.

CHROMEWAVES 7.5

I think I was too harsh on Dear John when I wrote it up way back in January. Yes, it doesn’t stray far, either sonically or songwriterly (that’s a word now), from Emil Svanangen’s previous works under the Loney Dear marque, but I’m seeing now that’s because he’s fixated on capturing one specific mood or theme in music and much of what he creates are attempts to perfect it. Thankfully, his elusive goal is the moment where angst turns into elation and the sense of uplift that results and he expresses it with orchestral pop music. Of course. This was Loney Dear’s first stop in Toronto in a couple of years and a make-up for a failed attempt to visit back in May when their van broke down en route. And while that show at Lee’s in June 2007 was hardly a sell-out, those who were in attendance remember it fondly.

And those who were at the Horseshoe on this holiday Monday would likewise take away some warm memories of another wonderful show. Re-reading my review of the Lee’s show, I find myself at risk of repeating myself, but it bears repeating – Svanangen’s live band really took his songs to another level, deftly adding more bits of musical flourish and detail than four people with just two hands each really had any business doing in real time. And as such, they managed to recreate the richness of his compositions while still recasting and reconfiguring them enough to feel quite new. Particularly essential was backing vocalist Malin Stahlberg, who in addition to handling keys, guitar and percussion, sang most of Svanangen’s falsetto parts with more strength and bearing, and amazingly handled all of the tongue-twisting bridge of “I Am John” while Svanangen took the easy, “nah nah nahs”.

But as great as the band is, it’s still all about Svanangen. His permanently forlorn countenance is simultaneously at odds with yet perfectly suited for the sounds and songs he sings. Drawing material from across all his albums, the live setting proved a great equalizer for the production aesthetic of the recorded versions – the sparer arrangements of Sologne felt more fleshed out and Dear John’s mechanical aftertaste was made more organic, settling in that sweet spot that was Loney, Noir. The performance was splendid from the get-go but the undoubted highlight was when Svanangen stepped out to the front of the stage, unamplified, and sang (I think) “In With The Arms” to the house. Now he doesn’t have the most powerful voice, so it’s perhaps a good thing that the crowd was modestly sized and thus easier to silence, but doing that, and backed with Stahlberg’s harmonies, was simply perfection. In all, they played nearly 90 minutes including two encores though at no point in between did Svanangen leave the stage – no point going through the formality, we were going to keep them playing for as long as possible. And thought it finally did end, obviously, all three of Loney Dear’s last records have been a steady soundtrack for the days since the show. It makes my angst into elation and that’s just what I need right now.

ITSNOTTHEBANDIHATEITSTHEIRFANS…

When I went to see Loney Dear at Lee’s Palace a couple of years ago, the experience was far and away a much more thrilling one than I ever could have anticipated. I walked away from that show converted from casual fan to rabid fan, and I couldn’t wait to see singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen again. Sadly, my wait had to be postponed a tad when his bus broke down back in May, but all can now be forgiven since the rescheduled show at The Horseshoe was every bit as satisfying as the first one.

The music of Loney Dear is made for the live stage as it consistently strikes a balance between the downtrodden and the uplifting. What I mean is that Emil’s voice can’t help but have a hint of the “woe is me” in its delivery, while the epic soundscapes that usually kick in within the last minute or so of his average song manages to leave me feeling celebratory. Likewise, the live show is a comparable contrast of highs and lows. Not being familiar with every aspect of his career, I was still surprised at how many songs I recognized, not only from the CD’s I own, but also from what I remember about his last show. His memory was equally as sharp as he managed to even remember some of the familiar faces in the audience too. It was very amusing to watch him joke around with some of the mildly inebriated audience members that were hurling crazy requests his way, and it was also great to see him performing in such a way that showed that he was having as great a time as we were. The highlight of the show was when he approached the front of the stage and sang one of his songs without the aid of the microphone to an audience that was paying rapt attention as the din of the crowd’s chatter was brought to an impressive halt. At the end of the night, he opted to simply let us know when the encore was taking place as opposed to going through the trouble of leaving the stage only to come back on, and the second highlight was hearing him perform a triumphant version of I Am John, which is easily one of the five best songs of the decade as far as I’m concerned.

I can honestly say that there are few things as uplifting as a Loney Dear show and I sincerely hope that I won’t have to wait another two years for his return. Call me crazy, but being uplifted through song is just something I can’t seem to get enough of for some reason. Go figure.

NOWTORONTO:

Loney Dear, on the other hand, bounced between sparse folky sad songs and synth-powered pop. But the strongest moment by far came when main man Emil Svanängen stepped away from the mic and unplugged his guitar to perform completely unamplified to the whisper-quiet room. His songs are strong enough to do without all the extra embellishments that were carefully arranged for the rest of the set.

Loney Dear
Loney Dear at the Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA,
October 1st, 2009, October 1st, 2009
Oct 09, 2009 By Laura Studarus Web Exclusive

http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/loney_dear_at_the_troubadour_west_hollywood_ca_october_1st_2009/

Tie-wearing, cow-lick sporting musician Loney Dear (Emil Svanängen to his friends) is the kind of performer you can’t help but want to succeed. Taking the stage after Asobi Seksu’s high-spirited sonic assault that left the audience bouncing, one couldn’t help but wonder if the sweet-spirited Swede—who repeatedly and sincerely addressed the audience as “my friends”—was up for the task. Flaunting his crystalline voice and liberal use of crescendos in a set that could melt even a cynic’s heart, Svanängen proved that he was.

Backed by a four piece band and a few well-executed samples, Svanängen and co preformed pitch-perfect recreations of material spanning Loney Dear’s five album catalog. With a sweetness that makes his music’s thematic darkness both somewhat hard to believe and somehow crueler (bad things don’t happen to people with crystalline voices…do they?); the Troubadour stage was transformed into the world’s most melodic confessional. Momentarily during “Hard Day’s 1.2.3.4.” and “Under a Silent Sea” it appeared Svanängen might have been exorcizing a few actual demons.

In spite of being a show predicated on an “ah shucks” mentality that had Svanängen drawing comparisons between now and the last time they played the Troubadour (“We improved like humans are supposed to do.”), it was difficult not to be carried away with his performance. Normally, I’m not a fan of sing-alongs (I prefer to save my voice for the shower, thanks), but when he asked the audience to pitch in during “Meter Marks Okay” I was more than ready to buy what he was selling. Chalk it up to—as Svanängen would later proudly announce—his hailing from the same county as “the guy who invented Ikea.”

Despite Svanängen’s non-threatening charm, the first “I love you!” of the evening was directed not to him, but to his drummer after “Carrying a Stone.” Blushing, Svanängen admitted that he did have a great drummer, before a second, equally enthusiastic declaration of love was directed at him. “Are you one of my gay friends?” he asked, addressing a clutch of people perched in The Troubadour’s VIP section. For the rest of us he provided a somewhat obtuse explanation. “I met them and I wished I was both a gay and a lesbian at the same time. I didn’t know how to handle it!”

After an all too brief set (which seems to be a theme at the Troubadour), Loney Dear exited the stage. Of course, had you been present and blinked at the wrong time, you might have missed this—as the band returned only seconds later. “Do you mind if I play ‘Airport Surroundings?’” Svanängen asked the crowd, laughing when all he got in return was a series of unintelligible screams. “I don’t know if that was a no or a yes. I shouldn’t have asked that!”

The encore also unexpectedly included “Shivering Green”—an oft-neglected song off the early Loney Dear album Citadel Band. Here, Svanängen provided an intriguing bit of background information, announcing, “We going to play a song that we played in a lighthouse in Holland.” He continued, amused, “That sounds more druggy than it is.”

The night ended with just Svanängen on stage, performing Dear John’s melancholic title track. “Thanks for the wonderful night!” he said before leaving the stage one last time. Thank me? My heart was melted, my inner cynic tamed. Thank you.

Set list:

1. I Was Only Going Out

2. Everything Turns to You

3. Summers

4. Under a Silent Sea

5. The Meter Marks Okay

6. Carrying a Stone

7. Take it Back

8. I Fought the Battle of Trinidat & Tobago

9. Hard Day’s 1.2.3.4.

Encore:

10. Airport Surroundings

11. Shivering Green

12. Sinister in a State of Hope

13. Dear John

(www.loneydear.com)

Loney, Dear
Way Out West, Göteborg
2009-08-13
Av: Christian Stenbacke
Publicerad: 2009-08-16
Hemsida: www.loneydear.com

Annedalskyrkan i utkanten av Slottsskogen i Göteborg är en vacker tegelbyggnad med sekellånga anor. Mången vacker musik har ljudit inför dess väggar under årens lopp, musik full av tro, hopp kärlek. Musik full av själ. Musik som ger svar på frågor. Ikväll ljuder minst lika vacker musik, musik som gör att det smärtar i bröstet, flimrar för ögonen och höjer temperaturen i kroppen. Men Emil Svanängen ger inga svar. Han ställer frågor.

Ett par timmar innan Loney, Dear, Svanängens alter ego, gör en bejublad entré tillsammans med sitt band via en sidodörr bredvid podiet i Annedalskyrkan, berättar Emil för mig att han fortfarande väntar på det där sista lyftet. Han är medveten om att det börjat röra på sig rätt bra, men menar att det fortfarande återstår ett sista knyck för att han helt ska lyfta och för evigt lyfta mot himlen, bort mot den eviga och svarta rymden. Ambitiöst, javisst, men så är också Loney, Dears musik tidlös. Gränslös. Universell.

När jag sedan frågar om vad han tror om kvällens spelning svarar han: ”Antingen alldeles fantastiskt eller också blir det som ett stort barnkalas, där jag bara bryter ihop, inte vet vart jag ska ta vägen och börjar gråta av glädje”. Det blir aldrig ett barnkalas, men att kalla det för alldeles fantastiskt är fel det också. Det är bättre än fantastiskt. Det är magiskt. Andaktsfullt. Besjälat. Kyrkan är fylld till bristningsgränsen, ändå kan man höra en nål falla mellan låtarna. Alla håller andan, är hänförda, vad ska komma härnäst? Emil Svanängen, ja, han fortsätter ställa frågor.

Trots att senaste skivan, ”Dear John” är mörkare och mer återhållsam finns det inget återhållsamt i Loney, Dears Way Out West-debut. Allt är på blodigt allvar. Jesus hänger på korset. Allra bäst blir det när Loney, Dear får publiken att sjunga med i The Meter Marks Ok, som support. Som en dirigent står han där, Emil Svanängen, och dirigerar fram sång när helst han vill ha det, vacker sång dessutom. 2008 såg jag Loney, Dear spela i en fullsatt Teaterlada på Popadelica i Huskvarna, då trodde jag att klimax var nått. Jag hade fel. Spelningen i Annedalskyrkan var en spelning man ser once in a lifetime. Jag hoppas verkligen du var där.

Foto: Erik Lindgren