This eagerly awaited follow-up the magnificent
A Car Crash in the Blue was released about a year-and-a-half after the debut album, and during that year, Frisk seems to have discovered soul music, because here we have an album that is heavily influenced by that movement, and less by the '70s pop era that made the debut as good as it is. But the first track doesn't disappoint any
Atomic Swing fans. "Stuck on a Worn Out Rhyme" kicks off with a typical Frisk guitar riff, and what follows is a typical
Atomic Swing pop song, which means one of the album's peaks. Then we enter the soul zone. "So In Need of a Change" is a duet between Frisk and
Ronnie Spector, and it's not unfair to think of it as a soul piece. And that is also a suitable label for "Teenage Divina," "Soul Free," and "Envy Moon." But there are some really good songs on this album as well. Except for the opening track, "Like a John Needs a Yoko," and "Suburban Wing" are excellent, and give a reminder of how they used to sound. This would prove to be the last peak of the group's career. [Also available as a Japanese import.] ~ Tommy Gunnarsson