Who Killed Harry Houdini?

iTunes Review

With over 20 members representing Jonkoping, Sweden’s I’m From Barcelona, it’s hard to imagine a busier stage. But on record, the sound is carefully disciplined. While the arrangements are often grand with horns, accordions and keyboards, they are never sloppy. At the group’s center is leader and writer Emanuel Lundgren who is a little down this time out. “Paper Planes” is an infectious pop number about feeling depersonalized, however, much of the material sounds dark and foreboding as if Lundgren has seen a ghost and can’t shake the eerie sensation. A tune such as “Music Killed Me” is haunted by group vocals that sound like a cult being lead down a darkened path. “Mingus” is a pop song trying to keep its head above water. “Ophelia” is hopeful, but there’s still something hanging over things. “Houdini” speeds up for a bit of old-fashioned rock. But Lundgren keeps most tempos on the slower side for a sublime melancholia. Even the handclaps of “Rufus” have the sound of labored joy. It makes for an unexpected heavy listen where the joys are hidden under the floorboards.