Thirdimension

I recently sat down and listened to Permanent Holiday, the second stateside release from the Swedish band Thirdimension. Not a bad album by any stretch. From the very first track, I was reminded of Fountains of Wayne’s self-titled debut. The lead vocalists from both bands even sound like each other. And Thirdimension has that pleasant britpop feel to their music with a modicum of psychedelia thrown in. However, unlike Fountains of Wayne, Thirdimension maintains a pretty consistent, overall midtempo pace and seems to have a more serious focus to their music. For example, the last track “We’re Not Gonna Take It” is an slow moving, yet powerful song with march-like drum playing in the background. My only complaint is that lead singer Björn Steggman’s nasally deadpan voice does not get more powerful as the music progresses into something more emotionally driving. However, that’s only a minor distraction for me. It may be a bit more of an annoyance for others.

One of their catchier and more energetic songs is “Mondaymachine,” track 7 on the album. It’s a very nice, poppy tune that glues to your mind via your ear drums. It almost has a Beatles-like quality to it, which is saying something. And whereas I complained about the lead singer’s voice in the song “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” I think his voice works much better in “Mondaymachine.” His delivery complements the music very well. “Ex-Song” is another upbeat track that has some very nice guitar work and the catchiest chorus on the whole album. “Only Healer” with guest vocalist Caroline Schutz is another downtempo track and the addition of Shutz’s beautiful voice adds a new level of emotional power. And if you don’t like Björn Steggman’s voice, and I can’t say I’m all to pleased, it’s nice to hear someone different.

Overall, I would say that Thirdimension is pretty good. If you’re into indie rock with a mix of a britpop and psychedelia then you’ll like this band.

Buy Thirdimension’s Permanent Holiday

Thirdimension – Mondaymachine
Thirdimension – We’re Not Gonna Take It