Bob Hund

The first full-length album by Stockholm's Bob Hund (following a similarly self-titled 1993 EP) is manic guitar pop in the angular mode of early Pavement, only without the lo-fi production. (In fact, the production, by the much more commercial Swedish popsters Eggstone, is exemplary.) From the mile-a-minute instrumental opener "Allseende Ogat" through the following nine vocal tracks (all lyrics and titles in Swedish), the six-piece band play skittish, ultra-jumpy guitar pop with analog synth accents. They nod toward not only Pavement, but also the first couple of XTC albums, and even the naïve rock of '70s art poppers Slapp Happy. That influence shows up most readily on the nine-minute, multi-part epic "Det Skulle Vara Latt For Mig Att Saga Att Jag Inte Hitlar Hem Mon Det Gor Jagitvor Jag," which veers from perky new wave pop to a hypnotic, almost psychedelic drone rock section, with extended plane crash guitar solo that recalls both Swervedriver and the American paisley underground bands of the '80s. The even trippier "Den Nollgradige" is another highlight.