The Sounds – Crossing the Rubicon

The Sounds’ third album, Crossing The Rubicon, is a record full of ups, downs and some middle ground to bridge the gap between the two which creates a fun but unnervingly uneven listen that at times soars and captivates the listener but other times falls flat and into background.

With obvious homage to the new-wave artists of the early eighties, Crossing The Rubicon follows in the footsteps of its predecessors with grandiose sound that comes off as a mix between Blondie, Metric, Shiny Toy Guns and The Killers (leaning more towards the former than the later). For half the record, this works wonders as Maja Ivarsson’s vocals fly over top of the shimmering keyboard led and hook-driven melodies. Her vocals are strong and impressive, pulling in the listener on tracks like the single-ready opener of No One Sleeps When I’m Awake or the dancier follow-up, 4 Songs & A Fight but on the other half they stumble as if they’re unsure of where to go.

Dorchester Hotel, Beatbox and the nearly fully instrumental title track all of elements that jump but as a whole simply fall into the background. Dorchester Hotel’s use of constant high-hats and echoey vocals feel unnecessary and are only saved by a soaring and catchy chorus where as Beatbox is written as a cheesy dance club number and falls into cliché territories instead of creating something memorable and unique.

These middle tracks dismantle the flow of the record, each track has a certain moment that jumps –mainly the choruses – but as a whole they drag on way too long. Feeling slightly unfocused, Crossing the Rubicon falls into the background as it’s unable to fully capture the listener’s ear for the entire fifty minutes. They never get to the point of skipping the tracks, but never making you feel the urge to replay them either.

That is, of course, until the final two tracks of the album where the Sounds suddenly blow all expectations out of the water and deliver two moving, soulful and passionate tracks that beg to be replayed over and over again. Both The Only Ones and Home Is Where Your Heart Is are slower, more controlled efforts that use Ivarsson’s vocals to their full potential. The tracks let Ivarsson take front stage as she expands her full vocal reach and sings passionate, powerful lyrics of nostalgia and past memories overtop of either a sparse keyboard tune (The Only Ones) or a steady built with lightly distorted guitars, soft keyboard melodies and high-hat drum beat (Where Your Heart Is).

It is these two closing tracks that will keep the listener coming back for more; unfortunately the middle of the album lulls and rarely, if ever, steps up out of the background which, for some, could be a deterrent for fully enjoying the album.