Lonely, Dear - Loney, Noir

Sometimes surprisingly warm and vibrant things can be born in harsh environments. Like, say, in your parent’s basement in Jonkoping, Sweden, where Loney, Dear has been creating little pop records for several years now. Loney, Dear is the pseudonym for a Swedish pop phenomenon named Emil Svanängen, and the story goes that he began making pop records in a little studio in his parents basement in 2003 and selling the burns on his own. Some good word of mouth and thousands of CD-R’s later, he came to the attention of Sub-Pop. Loney, Noir is Loney, Dear’s fourth album in Sweden and the first to be re-released in the U.S. Each meticulously layered song usually starts simply enough---with guitar and a plaintive falsetto that builds into a fully orchestrated chamber/folk/pop gem, featuring oboes, hand claps, layered vocals, organs. Like an optimist at heart who’s been jacked around once too often, the songs display a dual personality. Lyrically they're often pretty dismal and jaded, but the swelling music belies a more intrinsically cheerful side. All in all Loney, Noir is a terrific little pop record. Brooding but hopeful, it's the kind of record you wish you could keep as your own little secret, but seems like the cat’s already outta the bag. [www.loneydear.com]