Review: Miss Li - Dancing the Whole Way Home

Miss Li, real name Linda Carlsson, is among the current names that define Sweden's indie trend adding a bit of jazzy vocals, swift melodies and heart-lighted lyrics. Compared by some critics to Anna Ternheim and Hello Saferide, Li offers a rather more positive approach to music with a twist of pop. Just two years after her last release Carlsson is back on track with her fourth studio album "Dancing the Whole Way Home", which by far is her most successful effort.

Despite sticking to her original sound Miss Li expands on a few new fields, going all deep with a semi-cabaret sound, probably heading to a more sophisticated and elaborate stylistic change in favor of moody jazz with a sateen touch of dreamy pop. On a first listen you might be left with the impression that the whole style mixing has gone havoc, but after a while most of the material will start growing on anyone open to clever genre fusions. Even if this whole pop-flavoured jazz isn't your cup of tea, still the album can appeal to a broader audience, quite picky as well.

"Dancing the Whole Way Home" isn't exactly the album you'd be dancing to on your way home, but you might catch yourself humming it while waiting in the line or just being up for some positive experiences. Definitely not a groundbreaking release, still Miss Li knows music good and if it didn't lack proper international promotion she could have easily made her way to the European market, at least. "Dancing the Whole Way Home" is an excellent kick-start for her to be internationally recognized and receive some credit outside Sweden.

Songs to hear: "I Heard of a Girl", "Bourgeois Shangri-La", "Polythene Queen" and "Stupid Girl"
Personal rating: 7/10

Review: Florence and The Machine - Lungs

Tori, Regina, Fiona, Kate and all the rest beware! Florence Welch, best known as Florence and The Machine, is on the roost and she happens to be amazing! "Lungs" is virtually one of the best indie-pop albums I have ever heard, as well as one of the best to come out in recent years.

"Lungs" is the balanced mixture of folkatronica, pop, alternative and experimental with the fine pinch of Welch's witty and highly original lyrics. This debut is so breathtaking, that it's almost disturbingly unreal and only after a few thorough listens assures me that music can still have a meaning over the obvious. Don't get me wrong, Florence is not heavenly talented and unreachable, she just manages to offer something that has been missing on the whole UK/American singer-songwriter scene for quite a long time. While Tori Amos bores me to death with her recent endless piano whining or Fiona Apple's stylistic uncertainties and struggles, Florence hops up in the right moment with a fresh breath straight from her lungs.

Smoothness, freely flowing tracks from one to another, stylistic diversity and originality make "Lungs" one of 2009's must-haves. Apart from the whole technicality Florence and The Machine go further deeper in developing the concept of an odd world where things that seem regular are irregular and notions tend to take particularly unusual forms and ways of expression. Received by both critics and fans with a critical acclaim after the release of the band's first single releases "Lungs" lives up to their expectations with flying colours. Such a strong debut for a 22-year old singer-songwriter, who was once labeled as dyslexic and dyspraxic, could only give us high hopes for an outstanding follow up to cause further competition in the rather stale indie genre.

Songs to hear: "Dog Days Are Over", "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)", "Drumming", "Between Two Lungs" and "Kiss With A Fist"

Rating: 9/10