Stockholm, Sweden is the home of indie lo-fi artist, State of Samuel. The new album “Here come the Floods” are on first listen, an attempt to recreate the subtle beauty of the Elephant Six Collective bands. With some quirky pop fragments (some lasting under 2 minutes) you really get a sense of early Apples in Stereo or Neural Milk Hotel with a very nasal delivery. Many of the songs have snappy hook filled goodness like “Always Under the Gun” complete with 12-string strum and a nice harmony with Betty-Marie Barnes of Saturday Looks Good To Me. The vocals by Samuel Petersson, will either grow on you (“Square Roots” and “Residence of Gloom”) or annoy you (“Slow Day for UFOs”). Some gems are here, like “The Unholy Ghost” or “Suburbs on The Run” and most other tunes are too short to take hold, in fact the entire album is a only 28 minutes long. I’m conflicted here, because although many tunes are tightly arranged and catchy pop sing-a-longs, the vocals would strain that acceptability beyond a few minutes each. Pick and choose here for best results.
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Listen to “Residence of Gloom”