“The Lion’s Roar” of First Aid Kit’s Harmonic Bliss
It’s always somewhat of a sticky proposition when mainland Europeans attempt their hand at American roots music. You have to tip your hat to them. European’s fervor for American roots seems to be in no less degree than it is here in the States. In fact in many instances, Europe supports American roots music even more than the folks right here in the native land that birthed it. Many American independent country and roots bands have paid their way in life by touring Europe, and were doing so way before Mumford & Sons was selling a million records.
Nonetheless, there’s something about the Old World ear that seems to handicap native European artists when they attempt to re-create the American roots experience. It’s a once removed syndrome, like they see the forest, but not the trees. In many instances I’d rather hear European’s take on their own roots music with maybe an American roots flavor. These are the European roots bands that tend to perk my ear. I heard the Dali Llama once say he didn’t want Americans to convert to Buddhism. He wasn’t discouraging it either, but he said the religions that fit more into their history and customs would probably be better fit for Americans. I think there’s a music equivalent to this philosophy.
Being an American-flavored country roots band from the UK is a tough enough proposition. Take two girls whose native tongue isn’t even English, and tackling the task of trying to get the North American continent to pay attention to what they’re trowing down seems even more daunting. But that is exactly what the Sorderberg sisters from Sweden have done with their sincere and authentic, yet still individualized take on Americana called First Aid Kit.
If it wasn’t for me taking three paragraphs to explain it, listening to First Aid Kit’s music for the first time you would have never guessed they weren’t from Bloomington, or Boise, or Bakersfield. And that’s not just from their lack of accents or their skill at interpreting American roots, it’s because your ear trains on how excellent their harmonies are–the type of tight harmonies that can only be synced with such precision by sibling familiarity–and how sparkling, yet earthy their songwriting is, rendering notions about nationality or native tongue as trivial.
First Aid Kit isn’t just advanced for their adeptness at Americana as foreigners, they’re advanced for their age. Hell, I think there’s more than just a few American country and roots bands that could learn a few things from what First Aid Kit is doing, especially in their use of language. And for two young, sweet sisters, First Aid Kit features some bite. There’s no sonnets to cute boys here, there’s serious forays into the depths of the human soul with a dark shade cast over almost everything they do, partly due to the Depression-era Carter Family closeness of their harmonies. First Aid Kit is the sound the soul makes when it weeps intensely. It awakens memory like the most treasured of family artifacts.
Johanna and Klara’s tones match so sweetly, but separate with distinction when one sings alone. You crave their voices. This is music meant to move you. It’s from old souls, to old souls, steeped remarkably in the modes of the colorful, poetic tendencies of the English language, and the American dialect specifically. They make you feel ashamed in places that you do not know how to wield English words so well. Each song takes you somewhere–has a purpose or a moral. By the end of this album you’re both exhausted, and fulfilled.
And classic country fans shouldn’t immediately wince at this music as too artistic or fey. Songs like “Emmylou,” or their rendition of Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” show that First Aid Kit’s study of American country music has been tedious. At the same time, the mark of their Swedish perspective is an indelible and positive attribute. The Nordic balladry and epicness, and the romanticism of the human experience affords this music an old, folkloric sound full of meaning and impact.
First Aid Kit’s simple attention to harmonic bliss is just the kind of substance roots music needs as it enjoys the rising action of commercial acceptance. And it’s something Americans need to remind them how relevant and enthralling the primitive modes from where popular American music came from can still be. In Sweden, First Aid Kit is pop music. In America, we could only be so blessed.
Two guns up.
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Preview & Purchase Tracks from The Lion’s Roar (only $5.00) right now)
James W
January 12, 2013 @ 1:15 pm
Brilliant! I really love this group.
Dag
January 12, 2013 @ 1:15 pm
Holy shit this is good!
Dag
January 12, 2013 @ 1:20 pm
I can’t believe the tone of their voices—no Europeanish “sound” to them at all. Very, very rare.
Lunchbox
January 12, 2013 @ 2:29 pm
i really like that Emmylou song…
Gena R.
January 13, 2013 @ 8:31 am
Me, too — especially that chorus. “I’ll be your Emmylou and I’ll be your June / If you’ll be my Gram and my Johnny, too…” 🙂
Mike
January 12, 2013 @ 5:34 pm
Nice voice!
Rick
January 12, 2013 @ 5:44 pm
CMT recorded three live performances of these gals for their “Concrete Country” series and the vocals are borderline mindblowing! There is definitely no studio trickery going on with these truly talented sisters…
Link: http://www.cmt.com/videos/studio-330-sessions/first-aid-kit/864878/first-aid-kit-performs-emmylou-on-concrete-country.jhtml
Eric
January 12, 2013 @ 7:04 pm
“Emmylou” is a great song. It would be an excellent addition to country radio.
Lunchbox
January 12, 2013 @ 9:52 pm
the local NPR here has been playing it for a while now.
Eric
January 12, 2013 @ 10:03 pm
Nice. I think the name-dropping of Emmylou Harris might have caught NPR’s ears, as NPR listeners constitute much of her core fan base.
RD
January 12, 2013 @ 9:39 pm
I have always thought that British blues was entirely soulless. Listening to Eric Clapton, is like listening to an Apple II GS play the guitar. Listen to Clapton’s “famous” live version of Crossroads, and then listen to Lynyrd Skynyrds’s live version. Very few have even heard Skynyrd’s version, but it blows Clapton out of the water.
I once read something that Muddy Waters wrote after he worked with Steve Winwood and some other British musicians. He said that they could play anything that you put in front of them, note for note, but it just didn’t sound right.
RD
January 12, 2013 @ 9:50 pm
This just about says it all:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFFDJwlc1sE
RD
January 12, 2013 @ 9:54 pm
Better quality video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFspshhFfJE
Eric
January 12, 2013 @ 10:07 pm
Doesn’t surprise me, considering that the blues are quite far removed from British folk music. Brits who want to play roots music should start out with bluegrass, since it bears a stronger resemblance to their own folk music than any other American roots genre does.
Patrick C
January 13, 2013 @ 11:41 am
Thanks Trig for another great (positive) review and introduction to quality music.
however this thread has taken turns as it often does here.
Eric mentioned name dropping and in my opinion it does really fit. “Name dropping” ( and using the term “outlaw” ) are much derided on this site for the reasons of:
1, Its a cheap trend that doesn’t honor the name/genre in spirit or form and…
2, since the music is has really no resemblance in sound or spirit is not a true progression of country/folk/roots music and….
3, The music ( and i use that term loosely in this part) itself that we generally deride in discussions here cannot even stand on its own merits because the songwriting has to reach up from its low mentality to even approach sophomoric and its form is actually pop or rock(ish).
These young ladies have produced music that has roots in a genre, honors that genre by staying true to a sound and yet progressing with sound and songwriting that appeals to both our feelings and intellect. I dont buy the notion that these young girls got traction on NPR because of name dropping. NPR may be the choice of hipsters, but when i listen to NPR i dont ever hear fuck-tards who name drop and pander along about pickup trucks,dirt roads and cups.
Trigger
January 13, 2013 @ 12:07 pm
I totally agree, though I’m not sure Eric meant “name-dropping” to have as harsh of negative connotations. Like many things, using past artists’ names comes down to context. To talk about Waylon in a song that at its heart is a pop country song is close to sacrilege. To talk about Emmylou in the context of showcasing superb harmonies when the theme of the song is about wanting to find the perfect match to sing and share life with, it is absolutely brilliant and magical.
Something else, I think that my views personally on NPR have been misrepresented, though understandably so. NPR has a certain demographic of people they cater their content to, and that demographic is based on stereotypes. And like all stereotypes, they’re always unfair, but nonetheless rooted in truth. Just because I bring up the NPR demographic or how it has effected roots music, doesn’t necessarily mean I have a negative view of it. Its more the effect that I have a negative view of, and for the record, I think recently NPR has begun to attempt to branch out more, and I think that’s a good thing.
Patrick C
January 13, 2013 @ 1:12 pm
I do think we are of a like mind here. And no i don’t speak for or know exactly what vein Eric was bringing up the name dropping thing. I don’t really get a negative feel from the tone of his comment and think it was pretty “matter of fact’ in his opinion.
My opinion here is that generally these girls are more in vein of a Joni Mitchel folksy thing, only more appealing to me.
as far as NPR I find what is true about all radio is true for them: What a station plays they promote. but to their credit since NPR is public they are able to search out quality, and their artists are more steered by the natural direction of what listeners like, where as most popular music stations as we all well know is manipulated by what record executives and their scouts tastes are (or think listeners tastes should be). And then there is there whole sales issue.
Eric
January 13, 2013 @ 2:47 pm
I was actually using this song as an example of name-dropping done right, genuinely honoring country music tradition rather than attempting to bolster your own reputation by comparing yourself to the legends. Country music has a long history of naming legends in songs as a means of celebrating their service to the genre (including in titles of the songs themselves, from Waylon’s “Bob Wills is Still the King” to Taylor Swift’s “Tim McGraw”). There is nothing wrong with it as long as it doesn’t cross the line into self-promotion. When it is done with class, it actually shines the light on one of the greatest factors that distinguish country music from other genres: its reverence for those who paved the way.
Eric
January 13, 2013 @ 3:27 pm
NPR appeals to old hippies, not hipsters. NPR has one of the most elderly audiences on radio. NPR listeners like folk and Americana, whereas hipsters like hip-hop and indie rock.
phil
January 13, 2013 @ 8:56 pm
such sweeping generalizations
Eric
January 13, 2013 @ 3:50 pm
First Aid Kit’s vocal harmonies remind me of The Cranberries:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yam5uK6e-bQ
I don’t understand why music like this is not more popular today. I think it could be because most people want a hard edge instead of mellowness when they listen to music.
Honest Charlie's Productions
January 14, 2013 @ 9:35 am
Nice review! I like this and her voice reminds me of someone else’s but I can’t place it. Sometimes it sounds like Eilen Jewell but that isn’t who I am thinking of..
Patrick C
January 14, 2013 @ 8:37 pm
my other thought was Neko Case
CapnWain
January 14, 2013 @ 12:01 pm
Good stuff… Thanks for hippin’ us to em, dude (couldn’t help myself)
blue demon
January 15, 2013 @ 4:57 pm
im a fool for good harmonies so i really like them i especially like the brunnettes voice