The Chrysler Albums (2)
'Failures and Sparks'
Release Date 10/18/2005
Tracks 15
Label Galaxy Gramophone
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Chrysler's debut disc, Failures and Sparks, is a low-key gem that impresses musically and connects emotionally with those who love vaguely country-ish songs with lovely vocals, sparkling instrumentation, and sweetly insinuating hooks. The band sports two songwriters and singers, Pelle Lindroth and Anders E. Rudstrom, with strong and distinctive voices and styles who have obviously studied their masters (Neil, Dylan, the Band) but never imitate them. Leadoff track "What I Must Keep with Mine" sets the stage with swooning vocal harmonies, melancholy lyrics, and glockenspiel. The rest of the album rarely veers from this stellar beginning, mixing lovelorn ballads ("When Sarah Came to Town," "Ring of a Bell," "Yours Sincerely"), rollicking, almost bluesy numbers ("Along the Freefall"), graceful chamber pop ("Wounded Night"), and intimate rockers ("Damn Straight Evil," "Revolution #1"). At its best the album has a quiet epic quality to it, a sort of mellow grandeur that serves as a welcome contrast to bands like Coldplay and Snow Patrol who seem to be coming from a similar angle but overplay and overblow every last note. The Chrysler underplay every note beautifully. The American release of the record includes five shimmering acoustic songs that mostly strip away the instrumentation that bolsters the album proper and demonstrate that the band has a solid core that doesn't need much bolstering to be wonderful. Stack these songs up against the best of the "quiet is the new loud" crowd like Kings of Convenience and you'll find them just as good. Failures and Sparks is light on the former and heavy on the latter and is a truly auspicious debut. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
'Cold War Classic'
Release Date 1/1/2005
Tracks 12
Label Flora & Fauna
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Chrysler's first album (2003's Failures and Sparks) was a very pleasing amalgamation of classic American influences (Neil Young, the Band), emotional U.K. sounds (Coldplay, Snow Patrol), and hooky Swedish pop. Their second, 2005's Cold War Classic, makes a small step forward both in songcraft and production, making an already good band pretty close to excellent. As before, the band's sound is built around a sparse foundation of guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums. They layer in judiciously placed violins, percussion, horns, and backing vocals. This time out, though, Henrik von Euler's production is a bit sharper and the arrangements more carefully plotted out, which adds an extra dimension to the sound of the album. The songs would have worked stripped down to nothing, though, as both of the band's composers, Pelle Lindroth and Anders E. Rudström, have written some very fine songs that adeptly balance emotion and melody. Lyrically the duo is pretty downbeat and restrained, with the subject matter of the songs ranging from heartbreak to nostalgia and on to melancholy and regret. Musically, they have a wider palette, utilizing bopping indie pop with horns on "While the Tide Is High," strummy C86 twee-isms on "It Was 1982" and the sweet-as-summer "Blue Gold," as well as more appropriately downcast sounds on the dramatic "First Blood" and "Holland Park" (both of which sound like they could have been played by the Bad Seeds), the back porch country minor key ballad "Catholic Tuesday," and the exceedingly autumnal "Eddie." Lindroth and Rudström trade off vocals (singing their own compositions), and they both have wonderfully rich and evocative voices, perfect for the equally rich and evocative songs they have written. Cold War Classic is the kind of record you can disappear into; it creates a gentle and peacefully sad mood that's hard to shake for a while afterward, like a well-written book or well-made movie that creates its own world. The Chrysler don't get the same praise that some of their poppier and hipper fellow Swedes get, but they seem like a band that's going to be making records this classic for a long time to come. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
