FROM WITHIN

It feels like this album has all the right elements to make it an excellent release but the components just don't hold together as they should for me.

After two great albums Anekdoten decided to add new elements to their sound which I don't blame them for because progress and improvement is what great artistry is all about. At the same time this is actually what becomes this record's major flaw for me. What I'm sure not many people outside Scandinavia realize is that the band hasn't done much innovation here but instead just adjusted themselves more to the popular Indie music scene that have dominated Sweden since the '90s. Artists like Anna Ternheim, Nicolai Dunger, Marit Bergman, Sakert! and A Camp are basically bombarding us this type of mellow music on everyday basis so when a band that I really enjoy goes for that same generic pop sound it just alienates me.

Of course I'm probably exaggerating the situation because this album is by no means a terrible record and many of its compositions have grown on me over the years. Still I can't help but think back to the bittersweet taste I felt after hearing it for the first time. On top of that many of the compositions on From Within feel minimalistic and at times drag for too long which can be tough to enjoy if one is not in the right mood for it. Now that I've got that out of the way let's get to the good bits!

The title track that opens the record might not be as great as the two previous album openers but does offer a fantastic build-up to the melodic vocal section which is followed by a nice instrumental interplay. Next composition entitled Kiss Of Life is my definite favorite from this album. This up-tempo track really works wonderfully in contrast to the other tracks and I would have loved it to stay on for just a little longer!

Originally I was very disappointed with Hole which starts off in a truly majestic fashion but then just fades into a low key setting that never delivers anything spectacular during its lengthy running time. Although it has grown on me over the years it's still no where near the band's greatest compositions.

I've always considered the second part of From Within to be inferior to the first so in order to mix it up a bit for this review I tried listening to the second part before getting to the first four tracks. Unfortunately it didn't make much of a difference with the minor exception of For Someone which sounded a bit more dramatic than what I originally have given it credit for.

Hopefully my writing will shed some light on the local perspective of this record and although I'm not speaking on behalf for the entire population of Sweden I know that a lot of my friends here in Stockholm share this opinion with me.

***** star songs: Kiss Of Life (4:40)

**** star songs: From Within (7:25) Groundbound (5:25) Hole (11:09) The Sun Absolute (6:39) For Someone (3:31)

*** star songs: Slow Fire (7:26) Firefly (4:49)