HOLMES - So Far, So So

Holmes - So Far, So So

11 songs
46:54 minutes
***** **
Häleri

Bandpage

When the Norwegians Kings Of Convenience released their album Quiet Is The New Loud, they must have released an avalanche of mellow albums in Scandinavia. Holmes from Göteborg in Sweden for instance show that even if you’re seven people strong, you can still sound very laid back.

So Far, So So is a retrospective over their earlier albums, probably released as an appetiser for their upcoming European tour. The opener Mr Boom is an elegiac ballad carried by an acoustic guitar, although Holmes also use instruments like lap steel guitar, accordion and mandolin to add texture to their music. The second track Chainsmoking… sounds too much like Joan Osbourne’s What If God Was One Of Us, right up to the female vocals. Most of the songs are sung by guitarist Kristoffer Bolander with a charismatic sad voice.

Holmes are definitely strongly influenced by American folk and country music, but instead of just trying to copy something they heard, they craft ballads with mature arrangements that give them their own identity, something you can’t always expect from young bands.

So Far, So So is a compilation, not a regular album, but it should still be an ideal way to give continental Europeans a glimpse into the busy past of this Swedish band, and make them ready for more in the future. This is a neat soundtrack for cosy car drives through late summer evenings.

Back to Reviews