You wouldn’t particularly expect melodic, weirdo Scando- Alt.Country to be sponsored by an Alan McGee-affiliated label (though after Kevin Rowland’s stockings and suspenders incident, I guess anything’s possible) but this is what we’ve got this time out and it’s all rather curiously endearing.
Tobias Froberg has a nice line in high, straining, full-of-wonder vocals and a way with lyrical vulnerability (“would you love me for some good reason?/ would you love me for my heart?”) that serves him well here. The musical backdrop – all rolling congas, Danny Thompson-style double bass, hooky acoustic guitar, handclaps and a fine, urging chorus – suggest he’s the sort of character who enjoys dodging pigeonholes, though the subtle loops and ‘organic’ feel would tend to shoehorn him into that loose modern folk/ country idiom inhabited by the sort of refuseniks this writer loves such as Clayhill and James Yorkston.
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Besides, both of these have gone on to nurture fascinating bodies of work, so who knows? For now, ‘When The Night Turns Cold’ sounds much warmer and more inviting than you’d imagine. Come in and snuggle up with the discerning, young sir.
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