The present-day United States is filled with fast-paced lives. We seldom take the time to slow down and smell the roses. Even the music industry is filled with fast-paced rap, pop and rock anthems. However, making its name as the antithesis in this rushed field of music is the album Victorious, by the Swedish band The Perishers.
Victorious provides the listener with mellow songs comparable to those of Coldplay, Keane and Snow Patrol. The album is comprised of anthems of the all-too-familiar concept of heartbreak and love lost.
Despite the common subject matter, lead singer Ola Kl?ft presents his songs with a unique spin: sensitive and gentle, but not sappy. Kl?ft’s voice is almost a whisper at times, making you listen harder, and occasionally crescendos into a strong, mellow sound.
This contrast makes for a nice variety in the music. His voice floats over the rich melodies of Martin Gustafson on the keyboards, Kl?ft on guitar and Thomas Hedlund on drums.
Victorious opens with “Midnight Skies,” which will wow listeners with its beautiful balance of soft vocals, strong keyboard melodies and passionate lyrics about losing love: “Lynn, feels like I’m losing you / My faith is weak when we’re apart.”
Another song about heartbreak is “Never Bloom Again.” The melancholy lyrics almost give the listener a sense of sympathy for the singer: “Now it’s cold on my side of the bed / Though you’re near, you’re far away / Partly here, partly gone.”
The album’s title track has a more upbeat rhythm about a man who is chasing after a girl who keeps running from him: “You know me, I’ll be fine / Life is short, I know the feeling / Just call me if you change your mind / Victorious, victorious / We could be victorious.”
In contrast, “To Start Anew” is about being on the giving end of the heartbreak: “Breaking the promises I’ve made / ‘Cause I don’t thirst for more / Don’t hunger like before / I can’t pretend another day.”
On a lighter note, “Come Out of the Shade” is a sweet song about the familiar feeling of crossing the unclear line between a friendship and a relationship. Kl?ft sings, “Take a step and come out of the shade / I can tell you’re no longer afraid / I’m helpless without your warming smile.”
However, the line is clearly found in “Best Friends”: “Now I know that I loved her / And I wish I had told her / But I was too slow, it was already over.”
The album’s low-key melodies are an enjoyable departure from the fast-paced rap, pop and rock that dominates the airwaves.
So if you need a respite from the hubbub of everyday life, take time to relax, smell the roses and take a load off while listening to Victorious.
