Although I like a wide variety of music styles (still not wide enough...), my attraction to 80's / 90's influenced Gothic Indie Rock remains at the core of my instinctive listening habits, and thankfully some of the other 'helpers' at Nordic Music Review share this passion too. And although Lejonhjärta in their new EP 'A Good Way To End A Bad Night' clearly have a wide range of electronic influences which show in an interesting and dynamic EP, there is also enough Andrew Eldritch vocals and Nephilim style guitars to capture our immediate attention too.
Lejonhjärta hail from Gothenburg, this is their second EP, and they describe their music as Death Indie Pop, which is a fair description (albeit not as imaginative as The Janitors 'Evil Shoegaze Boogie Woogie'), and whilst their music is undoubtedly dark, there is also an upbeat feel which is enough to ensure that this doesn't leap straight to the top of our 'Mirel Wagner Scale of Bleakness and Despair'.
As for 'A Good Way To End A Bad Night' itself, well I love the Lejonhjärta style, love the atmosphere they create and the tracks get better as the EP progresses. 'Parasites' opens well, although the vocals are more Depeche Mode at this stage, and it has a powerful chorus, as does the higher tempo 'Voices in My Head'. By the time we hit 'Violence' we have a huge pulsating 'Sisters' style bass opening, but the highlight of the EP is unquestionably the brilliant 'Remains', a manically gleeful romp with guitars turned up to 11 on the gothic scale, riotous vocals and all performed at a rampant pace - I would really love to see this track performed live.
Whilst clearly my preference is clearly for the tracks that have that higher level of dark intensity, Lejonhjärta's clever mix of electronica and indie guitar should give them a wider appeal and make them more accessible. So give 'A Good Way To End A Bad Night' a listen, and let us know what you think...