The Sounds Cross The Rubicon

Some bands simply get better as times goes by. It's not always the case, but there are those groups which find their footing and songwriting ability as they grow more mature. The Sounds are one of those lucky few. Bursting onto the scene in 2003 they were about as cliche and trendy as every band that thought horizontal stripes were the ultimate fashion statement. They were a one trick pony with really only one song to write home about. That very idea had probably token it's toll on the group because they kind of disappeared for a while without much uproard. Three years later the band returned and began to slowly hone their abilities with their second album, Dying To Say This To You. It was a much better record and showed them growing into something much more than a one hit wonder. Now, three years after that release The Sounds have returned with their most mature and finest album to date; Crossing the Rubicon.

To say The Sounds haven't gotten better would be a drastic understatement. Crossing the Rubicon is the album of their career and is laden with so many fantastic moments that the record is just about impossible to put down. This is a group that have taken that sort of synth-indie template created by The Killers, put a short skirt on it, 5" heels, made it Swedish and perfected it. The potential hits just spill all over the place as this album progresses and as the insistant calls of Marja Ivarsson wrap themselves around your brain you can't help but fall for each and everyone of The Sounds tricks. From the glacial beauty of, "Midnight Sun," to the emotional wrangling of "Dorchester Hotel," so much of Crossing the Rubicon fires on all cylinders that your jaw may just drop.

What it boils down to is this, Crossing the Rubicon is a huge record with even bigger aspirations. It's slick, well put together, well thought out, and very, very good. The Sounds have taken everything they know and everything they've learned over the last six years and used it all to their advantage. The songs on Crossing the Rubicon glisten in the midnight sun and reel you in with ease; they're catchy, dextrous, and solidly written. Crossing the Rubicon is a joy to listen to simply because they've proved my cynical nature wrong. I never thought The Sounds would amount to much and while I didn't think that Dying To Say This To You was bad, I never thought they were capable of putting out a record as good as Crossing the Rubicon.