Mando Diao Albums (6)
'Give Me Fire!'
Release Date 1/1/2009
Tracks 13
Label Musica Dela Santa
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Never Seen the Light of Day'
Release Date 1/1/2007
Tracks 8
Label EMI Sweden
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Bring 'Em In, Mando Diao's 2003 debut, cut the hard swing of 1960s British R&B with a raw edge comparable to the Strokes or Hives. It had the best influences from the past and all the zing of 21st century rock & roll; it was fun, but that was about it. Released in 2005, Hurricane Bar lands in a similar place. The voices of co-frontmen Björn Dixgård and Gustaf Norén are still a force -- Dixgård's throaty and clear, Norén's a beery yell -- and there's an eagerness in the band's playing that keeps Mando Diao's tunes bright and foot-tappable. "God Knows" is a great example with its organ runs, punchy rhythm, and Noel/Liam-like vocal interplay. But that same knack for re-creating the already re-created sounds of their peers keeps rearing up on Hurricane Bar, and it docks the album points in the genuineness department. The Libertines' cocksure hyperactivity is the primary source for songs like "Clean Town" and "Annie's Angle"; "Cut the Rope" follows the Libertine lead in essaying the Clash. These tracks are well done. They'll sound great railing through rock club sound systems from Manchester to New York City, not to mention in Mando Diao's hometown of Borlänge, Sweden. But they're all swagger and no soul. Fortunately, Hurricane Bar's second half takes some promising turns. "Dream Is Over" has chirping guitar leads and a classic Britpop chorus, and Dixgård's "Ringing Bells" is strikingly gentle. "Ringing bells in Saxton and Oakland bringing you home..." goes the final lyric, and it's a comforting mantra anywhere in the world. "All My Senses" is also strong -- like "Dream," it crosses scraggly guitars with the softer elements Mando Diao might think about using more often. And there's a great organ solo, too. [Initial pressings of Hurricane Bar's domestic version included videos for "Clean Town," "God Knows," and "Down in the Past."] ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
One of Mute's more unlikely signings, Mando Diao mixes Swedish garage rock and soaring, Brit-pop-inspired melodies -- not exactly a perfect match with the rest of the label's darker, more experimental and largely electronic roster. Still, if Mute felt obliged to acknowledge the garage rock revival, they could've done worse; Mando Diao's debut album, Bring 'Em In, shows a little more flair than some of the cookie-cutter bands that have appeared in the wake of the White Stripes and the Hives. Speaking of the Hives, it may be lazy criticism to compare Mando Diao to its better-known countrymen, but the band's sharp, strutting riffs and Gustaf Norén's raspy sneer of a voice share some obvious similarities. Slightly less obvious, however, are the similarities to Oasis' swaggering but decidedly poppy hooks and conquer-the-world attitude, but traces of both these bands' sounds infiltrate and inform Bring 'Em In, particularly on harder-hitting tracks like the title track, "Sheepdog," and "Motown Blues," the title of which alludes to some of the band's deeper influences. Mando Diao's love of '60s soul and R&B -- or, at least, love of mod and British Invasion bands such as the Who and the Animals, who loved and were influenced by '60s soul and R&B -- adds a distinctive touch to the band's sound. In some ways, Mando Diao's co-founder and other vocalist, Björn Dixgård, is the band's secret weapon: His rounded, throaty style of singing recalls everyone from Noel Gallagher to Eric Burdon to Tom Jones depending on its setting, providing the band with a duality that results in some of Bring 'Em In's best moments. Dixgård's close-to-the-breaking point vocals on "Mr. Moon" and the gospel-tinged breakdown on "Lady" flirt with cheese before transcending it through sheer earnestness. He really shines on the album's centerpieces, the irresistible garage-pop shimmy of "The Band" and "To China With Love," a simmering revenge fantasy that somehow finds its way to a demented chorus of la-la-las in the end. Along with Norén's triumphant "Paralyzed," which borrows some of the Velvets' chug and pairs it with brass and cheeky lyrics like "She ain't as beautiful as me/But she's as beautiful as she can be," the middle of Bring 'Em In finds the group at the peak of its powers. Not all of the album is quite as self-assured and thrilling, but fortunately, it's all more or less enjoyable. The mod rave-ups "P.U.S.A." and "Little Boy Jr." are so cute and stylized that they're almost cartoonish, while "Lauren's Cathedral" sounds like an homage to Oasis' "Champagne Supernova," but manages to improve on the original by being shorter and featuring no lyrics as stupid as "Slowly walking down the hall/Faster than a cannonball." A promising but somewhat puzzling debut, Bring 'Em In finds Mando Diao going in several directions at once; if the bandmembers can follow their most creative impulses, their next album should be truly impressive. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
