Loney Dear – Dear John Review
I get quite a few things in the mail, even though I try to avoid getting too many things sent to me. Usually I end up with a lot of CDs on my floor that never get opened or listened to. I got Loney Dear’s Dear John quite awhile ago, pre-release date, so I’ve had time to absorb it. After seeing some reviews at Chromewaves (who conveniently says it grew on him in today’s posting) and Pitchfork, it couldn’t hurt to pop this CD into the disc drive right?
Loney Dear is the stage name of Emil Svanangen who’s a folk artist out of Stockholm, Sweden. I really had no expectations for Loney Dear. I’ve grown to like a ton of Swedish artists; most end up being more on the pop side rather then the folk/soloist side of things. Actually when the album kicks off, it sounds more like Peter, Bjorn and John’s attempt as instrumental rock on their “interesting” Seaside Rock. I’m not sure I dig the combination of an uptempo beat with Svanangen’s vocals. It doesn’t seem to mesh/flow well. I get bored of the first song pretty quickly. I think his vocals are above average but don’t suit the style on Airport Surroundings. I find myself really enjoying his work when it’s slow and Emil is allowed to croon on the record. My two favorite tracks are I Was Only Going Out and Harsh Words. The softness also suits the tone in fragility, where other tracks feel out of place.
Sadly for me as a listener, it doesn’t hold to this style. Granted, it’s part of a expanding a sound to an artist but if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work (I guess it’s nice to see some risks but risks are that, alienating the listener sometimes). I think the main reason is the lack of range Svanangen possesses. He doesn’t seem to suit (at least to me) a faster paced style, where the music is much more interesting then his vocals. Even then, I find myself bored a whole lot then I should be. I think the effort of trying to be more of a pop artist then a folk artist hurts him greatly. Concentrating more on songwriting ability rather then writing semi-pop songs may benefit Loney Dear. I feel like moments where he’s not singing are just as awkward as trying to fit so many words at too high of a pace.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5
Loney Dear rarely stands out from the crowd here despite having the ability to. He does a good job on some songs but also fails when trying too hard on songs. He does have sweet + soothing songs at least. Not a bad album by any stretch, just one with considerable weaknesses that I found increasingly hard to ignore.
Dear John by Loner Dear
I Was Only Going Out by Loney Dear
Tags: album
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