Spend time with this and develop Stockholm syndrome "From the fact that this is mostly a solo endeavour, that the songs are prickily entitled ‘They Hate This Where I Come From’ or ‘FU My Friends’ you might think that you are about to tuck into a banquet of misanthropy or a dinner of disparagement, at the very least a side-order of cynicism. Think again, this is food of a very different kind; it is food for the brain and the heart, intelligent and beautiful with a hint of bitterness that is salved by the sauce of tenderness. A particular favourite is ‘They Hate This Where I’m From’ starts as slow and sketchily as the slowest slo-core with just some slo-mo chimes of math rock guitar and whispered downbeat vocals, the guitars build a little complexity whilst essentially remaining plucked string strums where each string resonates on its own, a bass clarinet and saxophone slowly dance across the song weaving more complex patterns honking, the effect is like migrating geese with a malfunctioning sat-nav. Contrast that with the almost straightforward pop of ‘No Hurry’ or the even more melodious ‘No Loud Crash’ and you begin to build a watertight case for comparing this with Todd Rundgren. If you are struck by beauty then ‘Birds Around Yr Head’ will do it for you, simple acoustic strum, gentle vocals are all that is needed and by the time you get to the end of the song any preconceptions of misanthropy have completely disappeared. "

The Swede — And the Swede "Alternative pop-rock with indie rock intentions and gentle harmonies, the Swede is Matthew William Kohnle (yes he’s the Swede). Utilizing his past as an improv noise collage artist in Connecticut, Kohnle paints a portrait of melodies and fitting arrangements throughout this neatly textured album. While not quite chamber pop, it almost feels as elegant with lavish use of bridges and choruses amid semi-chaotic avant garde jazz structures. It’s witty, divergent, and never altruistic which I blame for the downfall of many experimental indie pop and alternative pop acts failure."

And The Swede is the chosen moniker of solo artist Matthew William Kohnle, who wrote, recorded and performed the songs on the disc by himself. His style is sedate and subdued, found somewhere between the quiet depression of Joe Pernice and the understated other-worldliness of Pink Floyd. The album finds its power in solitude, a feeling gently pushed along by half-whispered vocals and a sparse musical landscape. It's an emptiness which is close and personal, not distant, adding weight with each musical passage. Yes, it is bitter, but at the same time brilliant.