On first appearances it's hard to see why Oasis and the Chemical Brothers are such big fans of Gothenburg's Soundtrack of Our Lives. A bunch of anonymous-looking Scandinavians with a burly, bearded singer and a devotion to all things 60s, SOOL have all the hallmarks of a competent but unexceptional pub rock band. It just goes to show how wrong you can be, then, because Behind The Music turns out to be a stylish, elegant collection of psychedelic indie-pop. There are echoes here of everyone from the Stooges to Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, and while he may not look the part, frontman Ebbot Lundberg delivers his lyrics of zany idealism in a voice that manages the difficult task of sounding both powerful and sensitive simultaneously. A pleasant surprise all round then, even if SOOL do sound just a little tame in comparison to the adrenaline rush of fellow Swede sensations the Hives.
