Review: Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills

I’ll admit that only a few modern groups truly catch my fancy.  For those reasons, check out my post on the death of rock music.

But even with the high levels of mediocrity coming out of the music scene, there are still a number of musical acts worth the effort.  The Shout Out Louds are one such example.  Hailing from Sweden, this group of childhood friends makes melodic and hooky music that touches on the best parts of the 80s.  I’ve seen them compared to The Cure, but there are deeper strains of melancholy intertwined with bright, hummable pop.  The guitars shimmer and the mixed harmonies of Adam Olenius and Bebban Stenborg lift even the more simple material to a higher plane. 

They have three albums so far – Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, which is more of a collection of their early singles, the great Our Ill Wills and their latest Work.  Our Ill Wills gets the nod from me for being their best, but all are worth owning.