Already a dedicated member of the Stockholm garage rock scene, Henrik Appel offered up an impulsive, catchy solo debut with 2018's Burning Bodies. While that album consisted of voice, electric guitar, and few extra touches (he imposed a three-instrument limit on each song), Humanity embraces fuller arrangements on the whole, even adding a horn section to the mix on tracks including the infectious "Wake Me Up." That song also employs drum kit, guttural bass, and backing vocals behind a snarling Appel while he churns out raw ...
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Already a dedicated member of the Stockholm garage rock scene, Henrik Appel offered up an impulsive, catchy solo debut with 2018's Burning Bodies. While that album consisted of voice, electric guitar, and few extra touches (he imposed a three-instrument limit on each song), Humanity embraces fuller arrangements on the whole, even adding a horn section to the mix on tracks including the infectious "Wake Me Up." That song also employs drum kit, guttural bass, and backing vocals behind a snarling Appel while he churns out raw eighth-note patterns on the guitar. Another punk-derived, sax-bolstered entry, "Humanity," kicks up the tempo as it slides away from Mick Jagger toward Fred Schneider on the Appel vocal spectrum. Lyrics like "Sleep, fall, cry, die, circle of humanity" top off the track, which has a '60s go-go-boots energy all its own. Dissatisfied lyrics also suffuse sparer entries, like the wistful and tuneful "I Want to Lie." Elsewhere, the understated campfire tune "Mrs. Spaceman" consists of solely voice and spartan guitar ("Today's troubles seem far away/There's no dwelling on yesterday") until a warbled electronic tone takes the song home, so to speak. The only track here to exceed the four-minute mark, "I Need You" joins "Mrs. Spaceman" in the more-strained, reassuring final third of the album and features Burning Bodies contributor and Appel's sometimes co-lyricist Emma Lind. While still irreverent and trippy at times, Humanity is a more mature outing overall, both conceptually and musically, and a destination for fans of primary '60s influences including the Kinks and the Velvet Underground. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi
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Add this copy of Humanity to cart. $17.00, new condition, Sold by SellingTales rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Belvidere, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by PNKSLM Recordings.