The People's Record

Three years after the release of the elaborate box set celebrating their first decade (Labrador 100: A Complete History of Popular Music), Sweden’s Labrador Records is having one of their best years yet. They’ve released three albums in 2010 that stand among the best music they’ve ever released, and among the best indie-pop music in recent memory: Sambassadeur’s European, the Radio Dept’s Clinging to a Scheme, and now Club 8’s The People’s Record.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010

There are some things about Club 8 records that are always the same. The line-up, for one thing-- Johan Angergård is the composer, and Karolina Komstedt is the singer. Her voice is always polite and gentle; his songs are consistently tuneful in the low-key way that characterizes contemporary Scandinavian indie pop. Within this template, the duo have gone through a surprising number of stylistic shifts-- at various time slipping comfortably into trip-hop, twee, bossanova, dub, and dance-pop. Their experimentation has yielded hit-or-miss results, but their willingness to explore and ability to change up their formula without sacrificing the band's essential character is commendable.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010