I’ve noticed that with reviews of this band, most critics seem to go crazy over the fact that these guys are Swedish. I say: wahoo. They do know how to make music in Sweden ya know? I don’t think it’s really a big deal. But anyway, LAST DAYS OF APRIL sport a deliciously thick sound in a very slow, to barely mid-paced emo environment. This band places heavy emphasis on textures and layers and upon layers of paintlike sounds. Often, “Angel Youth,” comes to a grindingly slow hault, as if the band just isn’t capable of plodding forward anymore – but then, and as always, cheerful tingles of bells ringing, and guitars singing, keep this disc aflutter. Like the recently reviewed APPLESEED CAST, these guys too excel in producing a soundtrack atmosphere. When listening to albums like these, I don’t get into them on a song by song basis, as I prefer to look at the entire picture, its highs and lows, hisses and growls, smirks and smiles. LAST DAYS OF APRIL are more gloomy than not, and such song titles as, “Aspirin and Alcohol,” and “Life Companion Murphy’s Law,” only portray these feelings forward. “Angel Youth,” resonates deep within, and even when you don’t expect this album to plant the seeds of harmony and melodies in your underbelly, they somehow find a place to call home.

Deep Elm

www.deepelm.com