"you're too quiet, I'm starting a riot.."
Back in May (or was it June?), I was deeply devastated hearing Club 8’s cancellation of their show in Malaysia. I’d admit I was indifferent when I first heard news that the Swedish (what is UP with all this love for Sweden?) pop-duo was dropping by for the second time, just in time to promote their newest album aptly named, The People’s Record. It then gradually changed when their first single from the album, ‘Western Hospitality’ slowly crept into my recognition, and not long after that, The People's Record was all I ever listened to.
But it wasn’t the song itself that finally reeled me in into pure indie-pop territory of Club 8. I love how the video accompaniment took the road less taken as a visual representation of the song. The somber, solemn, and apathetic feeling that the main character conveys is diametrically opposed, though intriguing, when held in contrast to the shimmering and hyper West African beats littered throughout ‘Western Hospitality’. It’s interesting because it’s unexpected, and because of that, I’ve grown to love the song even more.
Scattered all through the album also is a dark theme of death and pessimism, but perfectly disguised behind the cheery, upbeat percussion borrowed heavily from Afro-pop and Brazilian beats. It’s an interesting journey that would take you through sunny, syncopated rhythms integrated with the more familiar sounds of Club 8’s contemporary, Scandinavian Indie-pop. My ears are currently glued to the uplifting atmospherics that shines and shimmers in their tune, ‘Shape Up!’. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun in a single song.
|mp3| Club 8 - Shape Up!
