Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - #3

#3, the third release from Suburban Kids with Biblical Names, boasts the highest production value yet. Since SKWBN record everything at home this isn't saying much to the Phil Collins types out there. The value of the actual songs is, in this writer's opinion, downright amazing. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names are young Swedes, Johan Hedberg and Peter Gunnarsson. The band formed in late 2003 and has since been releasing their quirky brand of twee-pop on Labrador Records. According to the band, Johan drafts out the blueprints and Peter polishes these songs until they shine like the Pop gems they are. Imagine a decidedly less morbid version of The Unicorns married to the glossy pop styling of Burt Bacharach, with a heavy Swedish accent of course. The instrumentation is probably one of the most surprising elements for a self-produced album by duo. Songs like "A Couple of Instruments," "Funeral Face," and "Little Boys in the Ghetto" feature a variety of instruments from French horn to a beat-boxing loop. Johan's voice never seems troubled by the delivery of the sometimes simplistic lyrics. The simplicity does lend a certain honesty to the lyrics. In the song "Parakit," Johan sings of a return to his old neighborhood: "I'm going back to the place I was born / My favorite hood / Hallelujah / Believe I found what I came here for / I used to roam the streets on skateboards with cheep beer / A little punk / Hallelujah." If Sweden's viking roots are any indicator, #3 is just fair warning that the underground pop scene is going to be pillaged by a Scandinavian invasion. Judging by the releases from Suburban Kids with Biblical Names, The Knife, The Figurines, and Jens Lekman...? I don't know about you but I'm growing a beard and getting comfortable in fur. [www.skwbn.blogspot.com]