Search - Caesars :: Strawberry Weed

The Caesars Double Dose!

M. McKay | Downey, CA United States | 05/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As far as this reviewer is concerned, Sweden's Caesars do it better than any band in the land currently. That is when it comes to crafting some of the best pop-rock this side of 1967! Whatever you do, don't call them RETRO. Save that label for some band that is obviously trying too hard 'cause with The Caesars, this power pop is ALL NATURAL baby. The Caesars love what they do and we love them for it. Band composers Caesar Vidal and Jocke Ahlund know how important it is for certain elements of a song to grab the listener and pull them in helplessly with no escape. These elements were given a great amount of attention back in the day to create the hit 45: catchy riffs and hooks galore, layered harmonies, and a beat to which your body couldn't resist moving. The Caesars have all that down pat and there's more than enough to offer up on their new release "Strawberry Weed." The album features 24 tracks so it's double the fun!



The Caesars last release, "Paper Tigers" from 2005, left me breathless so it's been a worthwhile wait, perhaps a bit too long, for The Caesars to release something new. The two singles from the album, "No Tomorrow" and "Boo Boo Goo Goo," are instantly memorable; both are catchy to the max with "No Tomorrow" featuring a Farfista organ riff that mines the same vein as "Jerk It Out," their one American hit. In comparison to the great double albums of ages past, "Strawberry Weed" comes off more like a "Blonde On Blonde" or an "Exile On Main St." than it does a "White Album" or a "Tusk." The band is clearly united behind this effort and band members aren't fighting for their own noteritey on the album, (though guitarist Jocke sings two songs, "You're Next" and "You Nailed Me," the album's closing track).



Since this is a DOUBLE album and it contains 24 tracks, that would average out to 6 cuts per side. So let's break the record down that way, shall we?



SIDE ONE: "Fools Parade" to "Turn It Off"



Side one is very strong and contains the first single "Boo Boo Goo Goo." "She's Getting High" features some awesome vocalizing from Caesar Vidal, especially during it's coda. "Tough Luck" is gentle and breezy and floats on air. "Turn It Off" sounds a bit like The Byrds, one can imagine Roger McGuinn singing this one. There is a mess of carnival/pipe organ effects at the end of the song too, setting the listener up for what starts side two.



SIDE TWO: "You're Next" to "Solina"



Side two gets more experimental. "You're Next" is Jocke Ahlund's first lead vocal on the album and is a ragtime-ish piano ditty. "In My Mind" is pure fun in the sun, very Beach Boys/Byrds influenced with a great sing along melody and great harmonies. "Crystal" could possibly be the album's first candidate for "filler." The trippy Fartisa organ saves it from utter mediocrity. A short instrumental called "Every Road Leads Home" follows which leads into the awesome title track which is complete with layered vocals, hanclaps, and the carefree feeling of summer. It will be almost impossible not to dance to this one. "Solina," another short instrumental, closes side two. It is a very spacy, very pretty, psychedelic song played completely on the organ.



SIDE THREE: "New Breed" to "Easy Star"



"New Breed" starts the third side with a bang. It does not sound unlike when Simon and Garfunkel would have a "rock" track on one of their albums (in this case side two of "Bookends" comes to mind). You'll see what I mean. "Stuck With You" is a beauty, another of the band's "self-pity" numbers. "Down, Down, Down" is remenicent of The Beatles in 1965 as they started exploring Dylan, it's acoustic. "No Tomorrow" should most definitely get you out of your seat to dance, it's the second single from the album and deservedly so. It features a catchy Fartisa organ riff much like "Jerk It Out" does. "In Orbit" will then take you into space as it should, this one might remind you of "Major Tom" by Peter Schilling. It's the most '80s sounding of all the tracks. The third side closes with a continuation of the space sound in "Easy Star." The only drawback to this tune is the rather annoying distorted sound effects employed.



SIDE FOUR: "Up All Night" to "You Nailed Me"



The albums last side starts out with a bid of a dud, "Up All Night." Try concentrating more on the "feel" of this tune than how it acutaly sounds. It's very distorted and lacks any drums. It really could have used some drums. "Happy Happy" is just a link track basically, a short instrumental on the guitar that leads into one of the albums best songs "Run No More." With this song buried in the later half of the album, I'm afraid a lot of people will not bother to listen to it. It's one of The Caesars best, maybe even single worthy. Great melody, great production, and great lyrics (the first time I've ever said that about a Caesars song). "Watching The Moon" is perfect for doing such. Caesar harks back to his childhood in the lyrics and the song's atmosphere takes their new "space" sound into the pop realm. No drums either. "New Years Day" is a Caesars rocker and Jocke closes out the album with "You Nailed Me."



As of this date, May 20th, "Strawberry Weed" is only available as an import. There has been no word so far of a U.S. release date. "Strawberry Weed" proves The Caesars are an incredible band in the face of all the garbage masquerading as "rock" nowadays. It takes guts to put out a double album in the downloading age too, and a band better be able to back it up if they are going to make such a grandiose statement. With "Strawberry Weed," The Caesars not only show they can talk the talk but also walk the walk.



"

Disappointing in comparison to Paper Tigers

Electro | 02/09/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"There are very few albums I've heard over the course of my lifetime that would not merit more than at least a one-star rating, but really Strawberry Weed was basically lacking in everything I had hoped that it would be. The CD seems to have suffered through a serious drop in lyrical quality since Paper Tigers, and the infectious grooves which made me a fan of the band in the first place have been replaced with bland old-fashioned melodies which I just can't seem to get into (with the exception of the song "No Tomorrow", which manages to be catchy due to the playful organ in the background). Overall, however, the songs just weren't that interesting melodically or lyrically, and I was in fact so surprised by the shift in quality that I actually took the disc out of the player to doublecheck that the copy I had bought did indeed have the right CD in it. Very disappointing; I'd rate this 1 and a half stars, and except for "No Tomorrow" I'd definitely not recommend purchasing it."