From ABBA to Peter Bjorn and John, Sweden has given the world some pretty spectacular pop music. The latest buzz f rom this Nordic country, Kristoffer Ragnstam, is shaking things up a bit and creating music that doesn’t sound like anything that has ever come out of Sweden; or anywhere else for that matter. The songs off his second full-length album, Wrong Side of the Room, are clever, catchy pop gems. “2008” is line after line of ‘tell-it-like-it-is” verse set to a bubbly, up-tempo backdrop. Ragnstam’s either being incredibly ironic or incredibly honest with lyrics like: “Nothing bores me more / than an overrated poet / with an acoustic guitar / and way too much to say.” “Sorry for Being the Man of 1000 Questions” is a danceable, high energy tune that could be the basis for on an episode of Flight of The Conchords. His lyrics are honest, unapologetic and downright amusing. It’s an ingenious move on Ragnstam’s part to poke fun at human behavior while delivering those jabs in a light-hearted, head-bobbing package. Wrong Side of the Room is a remarkable pop album stripped of all the fluff and packed with threads of innovative rock music that is as droll in its delivery as it is inspirational in its originality.
-- Brigitte B. Zabak [August 18, 2008]
