Behind the Music (CD - 2001)

Ian Person (guitar, percussion, background vocals); Martin Hederos (piano, organ, mellotron, background vocals); Ake Karl Kalle Gustafsson (double bass, bass, cembalo, background vocals); Fredrik Sandsten (drums, percussion).

BEHIND THE MUSIC was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album.

Personnel: Ebbot Lundberg (vocals, dulcimer, sitar, harmonica); Ake Karl Kalle Gustafsson (vocals, violin, double bass, background vocals); Martin Hederos (vocals, piano, organ, Mellotron, keyboards, background vocals); Ian Person (guitar, percussion, background vocals); Eva Tea Lundberg (horns); Arpad Carlesäter (hand claps).

Recording information: Music-A-Matic (2000); Svenska Grammofonstudion (2000).

Photographer: Henrik Rylander.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Anna Strid; Per Svensson.

The third album from Sweden's Soundtrack of Our Lives is their most concise and rocking effort. After the daunting eclecticism of 1996's Welcome to the Infant Freebase and the trippy ethereality of 1998's Extended Revelation, the relatively straightforward psychedelic rock of Behind the Music is something of a surprise. The thumping and clattering opener, "Infra Riot," is one of the catchiest songs they've ever done, and things just build from there. The booming drums and sharply strummed acoustic rhythm guitars of "Sister Surround" bear a startling resemblance to late-'60s Stones, followed immediately by a pretty but tense acoustic interlude called "In Someone Else's Mind" that would not sound out of place on a Syd Barrett album, itself the precursor to "Mind the Gap," which recalls the more melodic moments of the post-Barrett Pink Floyd. The album goes on in this vein for just under an hour, with one terrific song after another that sounds immediately like some classic forebear (there are hints of the Stooges, Love, and even Zappa in spots), but has the presence and strength to stand up on its own merits. Behind the Music lacks the totality and sonic impact of Extended Revelation, but the songs are more consistently memorable. Impressive stuff, and probably the Soundtrack of Our Lives album to start with for all but the most devoted psych/prog fan. ~ Stewart Mason

Even before the Swedish rock invasion hit the US full-force in 2002, the Soundtrack Of Our Lives was making waves. While the careless are quick to lump them in with their neo-garage countrymen, it's vital to note that SOOL, led by singer-songwriter Ebbot Lundberg, are far beyond that. While they do knock out some zesty, old-school rock guitar riffs, these Swedes bear more noticeable echoes of late-'60s Pink Floyd, Who, Stones, and Beatles. In other words, they've managed the previously impossible task of making a new "classic rock" record that somehow sounds completely fresh. Sophisticated production and songwriting are the rule, whether the band is engaging in psychedelic ballads, driving rockers, or Badfinger-like power pop. minimize