The Sounds

The third full-length release from this Swedish electro pop troupe is definitely on the mellow side compared to their previous albums, a suspicion I've been harbouring since seeing them live last month. First single "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake" is the hookiest of the tracks but still doesn't have the explosiveness of "Tony the Beat" or the unabashed campiness of "Painted By Numbers." In fact, it's difficult to pin down exactly what this album's trying to get at. All the mild smut is gone and the irresistibly sexy attitude of singer Maja is only evident on third track "My Lover," despite her trying her best on the awkwardly strange "Beatbox." Unfortunately, the creation of a "big round sound" in the studio has robbed the band of their usual tinny Euro-pop personality, and though they've always previously been bright shades of fun this album shows them watered down to the point of drab. It's a shame what fame can do.