Search - Ark :: We Are the Ark

There's something in the water in Sweden. . .

B. Anderson | San Jose, CA | 01/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this album nearly 4 years ago on a trip to Norway. Along with several other albums from Sweden, the clerk reccommended this one.



Before you write it off as 'campy' and 'corny,' understand this is unabashed Glam-Rock. Not Hair-Ballads, but Glam-Rock. Ola Salo, lead singer and writer is a man whose record collection probably includes everything by T. Rex, Bowie, and Queen.



The lyrics are full of glamourous imagery, dramatic romance, and coy sensuality. This is not intellectual stuff, but rather, unabashed fun. This is not music for this time, but rather, for the times you wish you could let yourself have.



This music is equally unsuitable for tortoise-shell Greenwich Village types as well as Family-First Republicans. Goth fans will find cross-over appeal, and classic rock fans will love the nods to Queen (listen for the Brian May-style guitar work in the first track)."

Schizofrenic Progressive Rock in a nutshell (+ a Mellottron)

E.T. | Amsterdam | 07/31/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"An album with a LOT of influences. Never boring, usually surprising, sometimes funny.Echo Chamber is one of my favorites and it sounds like a mix of '60s musicals, early '70s rock and mid-'80s rock. Something you have to hear to understand.The next song has very definite symphonic-influences...sounding a bit creepy - you know, the 'Hammer House of Horrors-type'.Basically, the reason I like the album is The Ark's heavy usage of a mellotron (my all-time favorite instrument). I just can't get enough of hearing those sounds."

Love them

platonica | Sweden | 03/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After winning the Swedish precontest to Eurovision Song Contest with "The Worrying Kind" (not on this album) 2007, the guys in the Ark are next to national heroes. I wasn't familiar at all with the Ark earlier, but got curious. Got "The Worrying Kind" and "It Takes A Fool to Remain Sane" (the definite highlight of this album) to begin with. Then listened to samples from the albums and wasn't all that impressed at the time. But then I just couldn't get these songs out of my head, and bought all the albums. 24 hours later I was helplessly hooked.



Before I thought the Ark was all about black, satanistic rock, but nothing could be more wrong. Very intelligent lyrics, and the excellence of Ola Salo's voice comes out really well in the ballads. "It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane" is amazing and really deserves being mentioned a second time. "Patchouli" immediately reminded me of Elvis, it sort of has that sound. Among the really good ballads are "Joy Surrender", "This Sad Bouquet" and "You Who Stole My Solitude". "Let Your Body Decide" is also worth mentioning, as well as "Hey Modern Days". That is, most albums contain one or two good songs, this one does SO much better."