Miike Snow

Despite Miike Snow's poppy past of writing and producing for the likes of Britney Spears and Kelis, I took no hesitation to listen to this Swedish indie-dance trio's self-titled debut after hearing the brilliant first single 'Animal' that could very well be playing on my playlists all summer long. With its happy pop sound and very catchy chorus, it could be easily mistaken as a song by the equally amazing but better known Passion Pit.

Miike Snow is made up of Andrew Wyatt, an in-house producer for Downtown Records, and Bloodshy & Avant's Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg. The debut was released on May 12th, I have not done a very good job for only hearing about the band about a week ago. Another powerful sad pop track 'Burial' follows up nicely after 'Animal' opens the album. Then it winds into the love ballad 'Silvia' with scattering synths and soaring vocals before 'Song For No One' touches us with uplifting electro sound and contrasting emotional lyrics.

This is an album that should be listened to as a whole as it goes down and it comes back up with a combination of melancholy ballads and upbeat dance tracks, but all in the veins of Miike Snow's unique brand of pop music. 'Cult Logic' vows us with complex drum rhythms and sprightly synthesizers while the poppy 'Plastic Jungle' could very well be a radio's top 40 material if the pitched-down vocals are replaced with those of a current pop diva. 'In Search Of ' is a dark-hearted track with its swirling synths over the banging drumline that can be a dancefloor killer.

With each track sounding so distinct and charming in its own flavor, I didn't get lost in the winding road. I find something new with every listen, no track sounds like it did the time before as my mood and the time change. Miike Snow's indie electro debut certainly outweight Manners in my opinion. Give it a couple of months for the hype to build, everyone will be jumping on the bandwagon.

Miike Snow - Animal
Miike Snow - Silvia
Miike Snow - Song For No One