Love Is All
Often bands don't really break-up. The group ends but an internal click continues. So when times get tough two or three tight band members start over again. That's more or less what happened with Love Is All which was born out of the ruins of Girlfrendo.
Josephine Olausson (vocals) and Nicholaus Sparding (guitar) were founding members of Girlfrendo with Markus Gorsch (drums) joining later. The group did some recording but didn't realize much success. It was after a particularly depressing rehearsal in a cold factory building that Olausson, Sparding and Gorsch decided to disband Girlfrendo. One of the first things they did was secure a rehearsal space with central heating. John Lindwall (bass) and Fredrik Eriksson (sax, keyboards and percussion) were brought in.
Recording for the New York based What's Your Rupture? label Love Is All released the reckless and noisy, "Nine Times That Same Song," in '06.
Love Is All returned in '08 with their sophomore album, "A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night."
Love Is All has been called one-dimensional. But what a dimension! Their post-Punk Dance-Rock is infectious fun. Concise songs, loaded with hooks, support Olausson's hyperactive, high pitched vocals, that has been likened to "Bjork on speed."
A line from set closer "19 Floors," "It might seem strange but I don't wanna change," sums up "A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night's" direction. Whether using chimes ("Last Choice") or a rolling rhythm ("Sea Sick"), the songs clearly emanate from a common source. The only time Love Is All falters is when they slow down ("When Giants"). But "A More Uncertain Future," is a surprising Olausson/Sparding duet ballad.
The best way to approach "Nine Times That Same Song" (there are actually 10 tracks on the album) is to get the first listening out of the way as painlessly as possible. From the processed vocals meant to sound like they were recorded in a dank club on bad/cheap equipment to the distortion and cacophony, the initial reaction may be "what kind of mess is this?" But upon further listening it all fits together, somewhat awkwardly at times, but that's the charm. Love Is All has a frantic, impulsive side where square pegs are jammed into round holes. "Turn The Radio Off," and later, "Turn The TV Off," have a dreamy tone with ethereal touches that accent rather than overpower. "Used Goods" shows the group's quirky lyrical approach as Olausson sings about compatibility employing the line "we like the same kind of cheese." Dialing up a notch, "Trying To Hard" and the '80s Wave influenced "Make Out Fall Out Make Up" show Love Is All at their best.