ceo - White Magic

Thu 12th Aug, 2010 in Music Reviews

Gothenburg is the sunniest place in the world. At least that’s the impression you would get from the kind of music that has been coming out of there in the past few years. Frequently labelled “neo Balearic pop”, the new sound of Sweden is the sound of summer, electronic, sample heavy and sparkling. Though the genre has become somewhat of a global trend, the puzzling and pleasing fact is that the majority of it is coming out of Sweden. And for this we have Eric Berglund to thank.

Eric Berglund is one half of The Tough Alliance, perhaps the best known exponents of the Balearic disco revival. He is also the founder of cult Swedish label Sincerely Yours, the label which puts out fellow Gothenburg locals jj, Air France and The Honeydrips, who are neighbours both in geography and musical style.

Through his work with both TTA and Sincerely Yours Berglund has essentially become the curator for the sound that he created and White Magic is the latest exhibition of his particularly brilliant brand of pop.

ceo is Berglund’s first solo project, but White Magic is every bit as impressive as TTA’s best albums (2005’s groundbreaking The New School and the sparkling A New Chance two years later). Like all of Berglund’s music, White Magic is immaculately produced, effortlessly melodic and above all naively optimistic.

The album begins on a high note with All Around, a slow burning gem built around a swooning string section and pounding drums, and it is a high that sustained for the remaining seven tracks.

On White Magic Berglund produces a kind of music which is more simple and less sample, marrying more traditional pop elements with electronic textures and styles. Nowhere is this more evident than on standout Love and Do What You Will two minutes of sun soaked fun, full of handclaps, bright guitar strums and an insistent keyboard line that has single written all over it.

As the album unfolds Berglund proves himself to be a master of forms, breezing across genres and styles like a summer breeze, from the pulsating electro of the title track to the stately, waltz-like Oh God, Oh Dear to the ebullient straight pop of No Mercy.

And just to show that he’s still the king of Balearic disco, he goes and creates a song like Come With Me. It’s a brilliant, shining song, constructed around a spoken sample, children’s voices and fluttering keyboards. They’re all sounds we’ve heard before in the genre, but seldom have they been as beautifully constructed, or as intricately produced.

The only thing that really frustrates about ceo’s debut is the fact that it is over so quickly. At eight tracks, it doesn’t even reach the half hour mark, which means that by the time you’ve had time to stretch out and bask in the feel of the music, it’s over.

Berglund’s music has always been about escapism, about going on a journey, and White Magic is no different. He is concerned with taking the listener to a sunnier place, a happier place and with him in your CD collection it is always comforting to know that summer is only a spin away.