Search - Souls :: Bird Fish Or Inbetween

An exhilarating album from start to finish

Forest Law | Lakewood, NJ | 03/31/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Souls were an indie rock band from Sweden that released two albums - this is the only one that was released in the U.S. They were the first (and apparently only) signing to Gavin Rossdale's imprint through the Interscope label, MDW (short for Mad Dog Winston, a reference to Rossdale's bulldog). The lyrics and subjects are interesting, to say the least. They run the gamut from having a strange person crashing at your house ("The Girl On My Couch") to demanding that a former lover comes back to her ("Simplicity"), to songs that express pure animosity. Cecilia Nordlund has a voice that ranges from a breathy Bjork-like style to an intense scream that could give the likes of Brody Dalle a run for their money.Musically, these guys can be described as loud indie-rock with better production. A few of these songs were catchy enough to gain some airplay for the band - in fact, "Cello (Where You Were)" did get a few spins on alternative stations, but I can't help but feel that Interscope dropped the ball on this band by not promoting it correctly. Probably the best tracks on the album are the two songs that were recorded by Steve Albini at the beginning of the album, as these songs give you the best idea as to whether you'll like the whole album or not, but there's not a dull moment to be found on the whole album. It's all loud, quirky and quite imaginative at points (as witnessed by the two instrumentals "Two Ton Tennis" and "Penny & Jenny").In summary: This album is worth checking out if you like noisy rock music that isn't polished to excess, but is catchy enough that you'll find yourself humming the songs from time to time."

What (. . .) happened to these guys.. er guys and girl.

Ben | Fleetwood, PA United States | 11/27/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Not exactly the most mellifluous or moving piece I have ever heard, albeit there are a few parts of the album that make it well-worth the $11 purchase price. There seems to be a theme at best among the love-scorned lyrics found throughout songs such as "Sonic Sorehead", "Simplicity", and "F***monkey". Celia (I believe is the lead singer's name) has a hypnotic voice, if you can some how circumvent the (at times) atrocious Norwegian accent. All in all, it would not be a waste of money for those of you who enjoy obscure, American-bred Euro-Indie rock. A perfect gift for that special nuclear-train collision/ex-significant other. Enjoy everyone!"