The Stompin' Souls!

Who loves garage rock? I do, if only because I love The Stompin' Souls. When I first got their first and only album, '...And It's Looking A Lot Like Nothing At All', I listened to only two songs, Into the Firing Line and Waiting for the Van. I loved the songs, but barely touched the others on the album. After listening to it properly, I love the thing. The band is now one of my all time favourites, and I can't even find the lyrics anywhere. But I guess I should start at the beginning. Stompin’ Souls are a five-piece band from Stockholm, Sweden. Today’s band members are Emil Nilsson (organ), Henrik Reinert (drums), Kalle Peterz (bass), Markus Bergkivst (guitar), Thomas Carlsson (vocals). The band was originally formed in 2003 and soon they released the “Put Me On” Demo EP on CD and 7”. Thank you last.fm. And that is all that I know about them, the only sites that mention them are their myspace, last.fm and Trig, as well as some store sites. Shamefully unknown. Their sound is the kind you could imagine on a radio, or at least having a sizeable fan base. But they don't.

The songs themselves are gorgeous little things, full of life (Into the firing line, Put me on, Bring me out among others) and emotion (The Dead Song, Like A Scar). And an organ. To be honest, I have a soft spot for organs, but nevertheless, this one genuinely works perfectly in the songs. The album has the typical fuzzy guitars of garage rock I guess, but I am no expert on garage rock. To name similar sounds, which I am terrible at, I guess you could say it is reminiscent of The Hives or The Caesars. But better than both. In my opinion.

The lyrics themselves are beautiful. Some lines make hardly any sense, while others seem to perfectly nail down an emotion. This gives songs that despite seeming to be about nothing on first listen, actually end up being touching and sincere. Maybe it's just where I am in my life, but I loved the lyrics.

So if you are a fan of some light fun rock, check these guys out. Their album can be found on Itunes or bought off their official site. For the money deprived, I could offer some assistance to those wishing to aquire the album. Either way, get their music, listen to it, love it. Then show your friends, request them on the radio and help them get some much deserved recognition.