Prince of Sweden – Next Time There’ll Be Violins
Once in a while, a songwriter will hit their target with immense force and purpose, and there will be no guarantee that they will ever be able to do it again. What’s even worse, those words that make up the song might have been best suited for a different time altogether. In this case, the song is merely a consolation prize, the great artist left to dwell in their melancholy.
This seems to be the central theme of Next Time There’ll Be Violins by excellently titled artist Prince of Sweden. This is the rare tongue-in-cheek, bittersweet, desperate, but not that desperate yet kind of song. It’s the sort of song that Alex Turner might write and toss in the basket for later use in the Last Shadowpuppets record most of us hope will eventually happen.
Next Time There’ll Be Violins is the old-time, folksy number that is written for all those obsessed with what-ifs and if-I-only-would-haves. The vocal delivery is every bit as aching as you might imagine from this kind of song. At the same time, the instrumental seems to recall old soundtracks made for movies where the protagonists eventually are able to mend their broken hearts.
Sunglasses For Jaws – Walk Me Home
Parents often start to worry when their young ones begin listening to gangsta rap or black metal. Yet, I’d argue that they are on the lookout for the wrong musical culprit. Endless plays of Sunglasses For Jaws’s Walk Me Home, or even worse, writing musical similar to this, should much rather get the elders to express their concern.
The menace of the song is not shown through tough language, promises of making deals with the devil or anything that banal. However, there’s just something in the unflinching way it seems to systematically take 60s inspired bubblegum music and turn into something cold and robust. It’s the kind of sound that seems like it should hover over a city like a black cloud pouring rain mercilessly.
Walk Me Home is a pastiche of modern production and flower-power vibes. Yet, rarely does this mix work as well as it does here. The folk-rock backdrop gets muted and distorted as if someone is intent on playing with the radio switch. The strange experimentation does little to soften the blow of the excellent groove that dominates this Sunglasses For Jaws song.
