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Loney Dear
Dear John
Polyvinyl Records
Unlike 2007’s bubbly Loney, Noir, the latest album by Swedish songwriter Emil Svanängen, aka Loney Dear, is emotionally strenuous. Listening to the soft, indie-pop songs is somewhat of a cleansing experience where the artist and listener sort through an array of emotions and get rid of doubts, regret, envy and grudges. Dear John has its ups and downs, which make it easy for listeners to wander off the trail, but those who finish the journey are rewarded with sweet satisfaction and high spirits.
Dear John starts on a high point with the sparkling “Airport Surroundings”. Svanängen’s voice is soft, but confident. There is a sense of urgency, like being caught in a rainstorm without an umbrella. The instrument layering builds up like a raindrop that is traveling quickly and about to burst. The strings on “Everything Turns to You” sound like thunder, adding to the high tension.
An escape from the storm is found on the third track, “I Was Only Going Out”, but the tempo abruptly slows down, as though Svanängen had the wind knocked out of him. The confidence found at the start of the album starts to peel and reveals vulnerability.
The middle part of the album is a little fuzzy and emotionally tiresome, but dashes of peppy whistles and synthesizer club beats try to keep the listener’s attention. The sun starts to shine on “Summers” with shimmering percussion and na-na-nas. However, clouds quickly conceal the sunshine with hollow organ on “Distant Lights” and the sedated “Harm/Slow”.
The last hint of unsettledness allows for a quick launch to optimism. The emotional transformation is liberating, and the last two songs flow with more ease. Dear John illustrates that with the good comes the bad, but in the end, everything will be fine.
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