Quirky Scandinavian Indie
Shout Out Louds are a kooky, Swedish affair who are attracting some pretty impressive attention from the right places; Kings of Leon, The Futureheads and The Dears are just some of the bands to invite them to share the stage.
'The Comeback' is full of jangly guitars and kitsch, monotone keyboard. The wonderfully named, 'Very Loud' is a breezy, very indie rock tune that even supports a delicious swirling synthesizer. There is something of an Americana influence that sneaks in somehow; perhaps it's in the slightly brash vocals or the pulsing, country guitars.
'Oh, Sweetheart's' lazy vocals swagger is reminiscent of current stars The Arcade Fire and is brimming with a modest energy. 'A Track and a Train' adds in some sweet harmony from female vocals, which really open up this apprehensive but stunning tune. It's a tune that sounds so delicate and dulcet with lyrics such as, "Everyone's got someone/ I got no one", that you want to give it a hug.
'Go Sadness' uses minimalism to showcase singer Adam Olenius' gentle, transparent vocals imbued with husky fragility, while 'Please Please Please' brings back the ebullience of earlier tracks. It carries impassioned lyrics on a rollicking series of guitar chords and a twee little glockenspiel break. There's a little 60's twist to the harmonic vocals and major chords, but that's certainly no bad thing.
'100 Degrees' brings in little ska flavouring with jazzy brass set against the racing rhythm, but it's a little less captivating than some of the preceding songs. 'Hurry Up Let's Go' revives the feel-good frenetic vibe with a catchy rhythm that indie kids everywhere could be dancing to, especially in a sunny festival setting. 'Seagull' bursts with bounding percussion and overlapping trilling flutes that even further emphasise the creativity of this Scandinavian group.
Most of 'Howl Howl Gaff Gaff' consists of singles penned throughout the band's 4-year career, which perhaps indicates why it's so consistently good. The lyrics are nothing deep or exciting, but the tunes are good enough to make the album interesting and varied and I'm pleasantly refreshed to hear something so easy on the ear. Whether the Shout Out Louds are the next big thing, or just another quirky little wonder is an interesting question, but I certainly hope at least a hit or two will be coming from their direction.