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LIVING UP TO ITS NAME: The Concretes, In Colour
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The title of the latest release from this Swedish indie-pop outfit suggests that the Concretes have until now stuck to a pared-down black-and-white sound. This is most certainly not the case: on 2004’s The Concretes, they piled their songs high with horns and strings and slide guitar in an explicit nod to the overstuffed wall-of-sound æsthetic pioneered 40 years ago by Phil Spector. And they do it again here, this time with help from producer (and Bright Eyes member) Mike Mogis, who accentuates their mild roots-music twang. No, the blossoming that In Colour’s title implies actually takes place in the group’s writing, which exudes a relaxed confidence (and a bedheaded sexiness) not as audible in old stuff like “Say Something New,” the frothy dream-pop gem Target licensed for a 2005 TV spot. The best tunes here — the bouncy Carpenters pastiche “On the Radio,” the acoustic lament “Greydays” — suggest they don’t require fancy arrangements to get over. Which just makes the bells and whistles that much sweeter.
The Concretes + New Buffalo | May 10 | Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm Ave, Boston | 617.228.6000
On the Web
The Concretes: //www.theconcretes.com/