Band : Brothers Of End
Album title : The End
Label : Playground Music
Distributor : V2
Release date : 01/03/2010
Release : CD

As a band, BOE may be rather new, but its members have more than earned their spurs in the Swedish Pop Rock scene. Matthias Areskog is an environmental journalist, but has been around in the Swedish scene, playing amongst others with Anna Ternheim, Frida Hyvönen, Friska Viljor, Marit Bergman, Consequence and Peter Morén. Lars-Olof Johansson Stäle and Bengt Lagerberg are both currently musicians (respectively keyboardist/ guitarist and drummer) with hit mosters The Cardigans, but also play in Up The Mountain (with Stäle also active in Cilihili; Lagerberg also sat in with such artists as Leona Naess and Angela McCluskey).

Having known each other since the age of 15 when they were teaching each other how to play their instruments in the town of Jönköping (the southern city of the Vättern lake, situated square in the middle between Göteborg and Vastervik), they happenstanced upon each other at the back stage camp of some 2006 festival, where their respective bands (the Cardigans and Marit Bergman Group) were to play. So intense was the pleasure of getting together again, that this chance gathering became the first group meeting of the new trio.

With Matthias also playing the bass, he and Lars-Olof sing, play the guitar and the occasional piano, and Bengt plays the drums. The music created is best described as a serenely calm Indie Pop which is somewhat campfire-geared, with elements of Country, Western, Ambient, and even soft-Psychedlica. Best listened to on campfire happenings, or on hot summer evenings, when the family gathers on the porch to have a cool lemonade before retiring. For those of age, make that a nice cocktail, because this music is at its best when the listener is under the influence of a mild numbing drink. Alternally…or even better…light a mild joint, or have a bit of mild chocolate (the added taste of the cake can be discussed, I’m sure!) weedcake! Visit either last.fm/music/Brothers+Of+End or myspace.com/brothers of end (the latter is probably preferable, containing a couple of extra remixes) for some audio! Wish I had moree time to spend with this one!

95/100

Tony.