The Tough Alliance - A New Chance

It would be too damm easy to write-off The Tough Alliance. Wait, another synthpop duo? Wait, these ones are also coming from Sweden? Add their inclination to write absurdly-happy songs that are on the verge of being too camp or not afraid to sound ridiculous to more conventional ears and you have a potential object of infuriated hate. And let's not forget their tendency to provoke and confuse, using the best agit-pop tactics available, resulting already in some very funny comments written by the Swedish press. So they glorify violence! They embrace hooliganism! And they lip-sync in their shows! But look past this basic (way basic!) reaction, and enjoy the fact that there's a band out there that doesn't look to be consensual and just wants to shake things up a bit. And, as there's more to them than the eye first meets, listen twice to their music and be surprised. Maybe you'll find that, behind the optimism and beach-party-vibes there are actually immense songs full of complex elements and rich details. In many ways, their sound ends up incorporating many of the things that have been heard in the last few months, like balearic rhythms or candid tunes, along with some other sonic surprises (you can even hear Mid-Eastern samples somewhere), resulting in a big cauldron never afraid to sound excessive or worried about following preconceived codes. So think poignant happy songs, pop-deconstruction, musical anarchy... and just like that, here's one of the most political records of the year. Explosive stuff. Or just an enthusiastic "fuck you" delivered with a sincere smile in the form of excellent pop-music. (9,5/10)

The Tough Alliance - First Class Riot (video)



Official Site