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From The Sunday Times. Songs of the year; Loney dear Sinister in a State of Hope The Swedish singer-songwriter Emil Svanangen is a fixture in our Songs of the Year lists. A voice that breaks your heart before you can work out what he’s singing helps.
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“Despair has never sounded so sweet.”–Spin
“Svanangen’s captivating ruminations sound as if he’s trying to capture the purest essence of joy, albeit with a melancholy underbelly. It’s that bittersweet warmth that makes Loney, Dear’s hushed, pastoral folk songs seep into the heart.”–NPR
“He wraps the ups and downs of a whirlwind romance into tiny packages.
You’re left hungry, fully certain that 34 minutes– let alone five– will never be enough of this very, very good thing.”–Pitchfork
“Through soft layers of acoustic instrumentation and vocal harmonies,
Svanangen creates a sustained and lasting representation of the classic emotions of regret, peace, and loneliness.” –PopMatters
“Svanängen’s bright falsetto holds his miniature musical tapestries together.” –Austin Chronicle
Loney, Dear – Loney, Noir
My love affair with Emil Svanängens music continues. By far my artist of the year, the past couple of years in fact. There isn’t much I can really say about the music that I haven’t already said on this site in the past 12 months. Loney, Noir and indeed the previous three releases have been on constant rotation ever since I heard a live session on Gideon Coe’s 6music show back in the summer of 2006. And, after seeing them live every chance I could get this year it’s fair to say no other music around at the moment touches me in the same way as Loney, Dear does. There is nothing more I can really add to that.
http://thelineofbestfit.com/2007/12/10/class-of-2007-rich-thane-the-line-of-best-fit/
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Loney, Dear
Loney, Noir
8.2/10
Hand claps are cool. Shouts? Yeah. Ecstatic, under-stated rhythms? Hell yeah. But the Clarinet? Of course. All of these are the secret weapons of Loney, Dear a.k.a. Emil Svanängen’s Sub Pop debut Loney, Noir. The instrument made popular by seventh graders is used, ingeniously, by Svanängen to guide you through this quick and seamless album in less than 35 minutes. The instrument is in no means used as a gimmick or a crutch, it is simply used to underscore and highlight beautiful and oddly familiar melodies.
One of the obvious highlights of Loney, Noir; “I am John”, is so infectious it’s hard to sit still. The songs easy and natural build is reminiscent of the best Kings of Convenience. Though by two and a half minutes into the song Svanängen’s falsetto harmonies, eyes-closed happy drumming, and seemingly lo-fi layers gives even Broken Social Scene and Neutral Milk Hotel a run for their money. He croons “I’ve got a feeling of you and we danced for so long/I want your arms around me like lovers do, and I’m never gonna let you down” in a magnificent head-voice like it’s the only thing he can do to get it out. Be sure that your air bag isn’t very sensitive, ’cause you’ll be drumming along like it’s nobody’s business.
You may have noticed… “I’ve got a feeling of you and we danced for so long…” It doesn’t really make sense. Well, he’s Swedish. Like Jens Lekman and Jose Gonzalez before him, there’s a distinct accent and rhythm used to elide lyrics and tell the story he’d like. Truly, these Swedes baffle me. How is it they write such prolific, interesting, and story worthy lyrics in a language that isn’t even their own? What’s more, they are stars in their own country. We’ve got Jessica Simpson. They’ve got Jens Lekman. Sorry…side bar…anyway. It’s something to keep in mind as you listen to Loney, Noir because of some of the interesting rhyme schemes and the dialect he has. It’s not forced or pretentious. It’s earnest and kind of cute which he uses to his advantage.
The “Cute” factor might get on your nerves a bit though. Svanängen’s high, but solid voice is a familiar trend among the indie crowd. Loney, Noir’s first track “Sinister in a State of Hope” hits you right away with the limits of his voice. It’s not grating, though it is not beautiful like Jónsi Birgisson of Sigur Ros, and it’s certainly not twee…which is where I’ll insert the inevitable Belle and Sebastian comparison. Though, unlike some of his colleagues, there’s a certain gravitas behind Svanängen’s voice. In another highlight, “The Meter Mark’s Okay,” he splays the songs theme right out in front of you in the first line; which is the songs title. Along with the muted electronic and acoustic tones that accompany him, his slight vibrato is devastating in a song that is either about settling and mediocrity, or running out of gas.
The album is thick with sound. A bedroom orchestra made possible with the wonders of today’s technology. According to legend, Svanängen only recently retired his lamp and bought a mic stand which would suggest another bedroom recording of which Sub Pop has had no qualms with releasing in the past (i.e. The Thermals More Parts Per Million). Though, Loney, Noir stinks of studio time and well thought out harmonies. Blending electronic and acoustic beats with woodwinds, like in “I Won’t Cause Anything At All”.
With its thirty-four minute running time, Loney, Noir is easy on the ears and will grow on you with each listen. Only time will tell if this is only a wisp of aural pleasure that will fade with time, or a glimpse into something great. Meanwhile, start dusting off that old clarinet that you accidentally never returned to the rental place and start rockin’ out to the sweet sweet sound of Sweden.
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2.14.07
Very rarely, I get sent albums that leave me pretty speechless. Where the music is so good that it seems pointless to trundle out your review superlatives. I have had this problem with the new Loney, Dear album called “Loney, Noir” which has been on constant playback for a month or so now.
Interestingly, this came in a Subpop package along with the new Shins which I’d been eagerly awaiting. Yeah, “Wincing” is pretty great… but Loney, Dear completely took over my CD player with his amazing one man band recordings. Granted, I’ve got a soft spot for the Swedes (and yes, I was a fan before the current influx of Swedish indies) but Emil Svanängen has really turned on the charm in his pop music.
It’s hard to describe except to say that it is so beautifully natural and organic sounding. It’s not shoegaze, but I’m going to call it “Stargaze” music because it’s filled with the same childlike wonder I once felt when watching the Leonid shooting stars up near Mount Wilson. And I don’t mean that ill-fated kind of childlike wonder that often transforms Peter Griffin on Family guy into a gibbnering 7-year old idiot. I mean true wonder.
The first three songs, “Sinister In A State of Hope”, “I Am John” and “Saturday Waits” are reason enough to get the album. But I was already completely sold by the end of the first track. For reference, the actual setup of the music is similar to either Badly Drawn Boy or Sufjan Stevens or Polyphonic Spree where simple pop and folk melodies are framed by a larger amount of instruments than might otherwise be orchestrated. The instrumentation is quirky which adds to the sense of wonder. Vocally, Emil channels Brian Wilson, Jeff Hanson, or Paul Simon when he sings in a higher voice (which is most of the time), or Jason Lytle when he sings lower. There’s a slight nod to the Elephant 6 type of sound of Beulah or The Apples, but it’s just slight.
Though the recordings are done on his own in somewhat modest settings (apartment or basement of parent’s house), I’ve heard that when he plays live he adds on a full band. I would really like to see them play a show, but I don’t believe they’re coming around to California. They’re playing SXSW, though. I’ve heard they did shows with Peter, Bjorn and John in Sweden – what a bill that would be.
Basically, I am just going to call this the best album I’ve gotten this year so far. And I would be super surprised if it didn’t make top 5 at year’s end. I know it’s early, but Loney, Dear is just too good.
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VÄRLDEN UTANFÖR ÄLSKAR SVENSKA POPUNDRET LONEY DEAR
2007-12-17 17:06:02
Resten av världen verkar ha fattat nåt som vi svenskar hittills inte snappat upp; Loney Dears talang och kapacitet. Han är omskriven i Mojo, NME, Vice, och Q samt stolpade in på Frankrikes största musiktidnings lista över årets bästa skivor – med två album! Varav den ena kom på nr.3, bakom Justice och LCD Soundsystem. Inte illa pinkat. från MTV.SE
Label: Sub Pop || Released: February 2007 || Rating: ESSENTIAL
Yes, we have written about this album before. More specifically, my partner Vertigo wrote an article on Loney, Noir on April 3rd of this year. Then why post this again you ask? Well first of all, the Swedish genius Loney, Dear has made a magnificent album which deserves to be heard by every music loving person out there. Seconds, thanks to the hard work of my good friend Tsuru it looks like the battle between compact disc and vinyl has finally been decided…and vinyl won!
I was born in 1976 and grew up playing my Beatles, Michael Jackson and Dean Martin (don’t ask) on the ol’ record player my dad gave to me when I was a young lad. Later I turned to the handy format of the casette-tape before getting thoroughly amazed by the wonders that was digital music. No more needles on black plastic or the streaming of fragile tapes for me. Compact disc and its 0-1-0-0-1-1 etc was the new thing and I loved it. I have not touched a single piece of music-holding vinyl since the late 80′s and have not regretted this for a single moment, that is to say, I didn’t untill two days when I downloaded the vinyl version of Loney, Noir from Tsururadio…
The sensation that shot through my body when I realised that a good album had just become a great album cannot quite be described with words. This is something that should be experienced first hand. The majesty of the songs and the beauty of the subtle orchestration really bloom on vinyl, as opposed to the cd-version. I can’t stop listening to it and has convinced me of the fact that I really need to get myself a recordplayer when I get back from vacation. Thank you Tsuru for this great initiave and lets hope that more people catch up on this idea in the future.
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