First Aid Kit - "The Lion's Roar"

Artist: First Aid Kit
Album: The Lion’s Roar
Label: Wichita Recordings
Release Date: January 17, 2012
Review by: Sean Kayden

Swedish sisters, Johanna and Klara Söderberg make the up folk pair, First Aid Kit. After much critical acclaim for their 2010 record, “The Big Black & The Blue”, the young siblings return with their follow-up, “The Lion’s Roar”. The new record is a collection of deeply sullen folk tunes that showcases beauteous harmonies and woodsy arrangements. Fans of Fleet Foxes should feel right at home with First Aid Kit, who ironically covered their song “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” a few years ago that set the blogsphere on fire. Honestly, I’ve never been a huge enthusiast of folk rock. There are plenty of bands in the genre that frankly sound exactly the same and offer very little difference from one another. However, First Aid Kit doesn’t seem much like imitators, but innovators. While dull moments sometimes arise, it’s the aching lyrics and brutal honesty implanted within each song that lifts First Aid Kid from an inferior girl group to a superior dynamic duo.

When I first think about folk rock in today’s music, what comes to mind are bands mimicking artists from another era. Often their songs sound just like the ones from that period in time, but only more polished. The biggest problem with today’s folk music is merely the fact you must be in the mood for it. The atmosphere is often dreary with distinctive storytelling ranging from anecdotes of mountains and cabins to the man you’re supposed to be to anything Americana related. First Aid Kit does a marvelous job having me believe their making music for tomorrow not today and certainly not yesterday. “In The Hearts Of Men” is solemn but immaculate. It’ll carry you away on its shoulders and take you to a fond memory; one that you wish will never fade away. “Emmylou” is romantic and as tender as the love it speaks of. The lyrics for “Blue” are wistful, but the song swiftly moves along and may be the most joyous of the bunch.

Little can be said the same for the finale song, “King Of The World”, which feels strangely out of place, especially with Conor Oberst from the band Bright Eyes on guest vocals. Something about the song struck me the wrong way, which led to my realization that this is definitely the filler song off the record. Despite my strong disliking to the closer, the nine prior songs are either pretty good or really wonderful. There not all downers, but the best ones are. First Aid Kit doesn’t knock it out of the park on each track, but the songs all have stark moments of bliss, true significance and dazzling arrangements. For fans of the persuasion, you really can’t ask for much more. And for non-supporters of this resonance, “The Lion’s Roar” may just be the surprise you’ve been truly hoping for all along.

Key Tracks: “Emmylou”, “In The Hearts Of Men”, “Blue”
Grade: 7.5 out of 10

Published by Mountain Views News on January 21, 2012
http://mtnviewsnews.com/v06/htm/n03/p09.htm