The Lost Patrol
"Songs About Running Away" CD (Burning Heart)
Who the fuck ever thought that Dennis Lyxsén would ever write an album which is just slightly to the rock side of Kings Of Convenience? These country-inflected pop songs are a far cry from The International Noise Conspirary, much less Refused. Frankly, once this hit the CD player, I really didn't listen to much else for this issue. While there's nothing as overtly political as Lyxsén's other bands here, the songs seem covertly political, primarily focusing on relationships - perhaps romantic, perhaps platonic - which are still imbued with longing and desire. This is perhaps one of the most noteworthy characteristics inherent in Lyxsén's music - there is usually a sense of yearning for something, whether a better political future or a relationship which doesn't yield a sense that something is still missing. One of the most interesting artistic ideas at play here is a sense that disenfranchisement, that alienation and ostracization engender a void which pulls on other areas of a life; that being removed from or marginalized in the political realm can in turn result in frustrating or unfulfilling relationships and that these frustrations can cascade throughout one's existence, coloring everything they touch. Of course, maybe I'm just another asshole rock critic who's reading too much into a set of pop songs ... but still, it moves.