The
Sounds don’t stop the beat in
sophomore album
By
Brigid McGuire
Online Forty-Niner
Diversions Editor
It was an unusually warm night in Pomona, Calif., when the Sounds began Night
2 of their U.S. tour March 23.
The crowd is young at the Glasshouse, with everyone under the age of 16 having
their hair bleached and wearing the tightest jeans possible.
The atmosphere is light with no one being hostile, considering there are ins-and-outs
at the Glasshouse and no one is forced to watch a band they may not like. The
Glasshouse is located in old downtown Pomona and is a great all-ages venue
for those who would rather watch the band and not deal with a drunk next to
them and worry about having beer spilt on them. The building has checkered
black and white tiles and has no sign outside giving the name of the venue,
but with all of the people in front, it’s hard to miss.
The opening band was Action Action, with 50,000 records of the group’s
debut album sold, “An Army of Shapes Between Wars.” The group’s
sound is typical dance indie rock.
The second group Morningwood, hailing from New York, blew the crowd away with
its energy and lead singer Chantal Claret’s insane onstage antics. Claret
ran on stage, shaking her hair all over the place and the crowd went wild.
Claret spoke about every taboo issue between songs, including sex and what
an orgasm sounds like, but with a name like Morningwood, would you expect anything
less? Claret then began striping the video guy’s shirt off and licking
his chest during the song, “Take Off Your Clothes.” Morningwood
shows are full of sexual tension, which only they can release.
Only the Sounds could follow the act of Morningwood and lead singer Maja Ivarsson
owned the stage for the next hour. The group consists of Felix Rodriguez (guitar),
Fredrik Nilsson (drums), Jesper Anderberg (keyboard) and Johan Bengtsson (bass).
The group just released their sophomore album “Dying to Say This to You,” after
the debut hit “Living in America.” The album is a dance party,
with a disco feel to it. The keyboard synths from Anderberg are key and dominate
every song.
The group was founded in 1998 in Sweden and has toured almost constantly since “Living
in America” took off.
They have played Warped Tour, the Coachella Music and Arts Festival and have
been on tour with the Strokes.
The Sounds played a great mix from both albums and demanded the attention of
the audience with their new song “24 Hours.”
“
24 Hours” is a song about heartbreak and healing, with crooning vocals
from Ivarsson.
“
Song with a Mission” is a message to their fans about their music breakout
and how the group is deteremined to keep going, “This song is not for
you/only for people living like we do/and not for the true.”
“
Painted By Numbers,” is a ballad to being one’s self and looking
for love. The beat is catchy and the piano playing gives a soft groove to it.
The Sounds also played their old hits, “Seven Days a Week,” “Hit
Me!” and “Living in America.” The entire crowd danced and
shouted along as Maja danced and climbed on top of the drum kit as the Sounds
finished a great show.
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