Vor einiger Zeit erschien das sechste Album der schwedischen Hardrock-Band THE POODLES. Exklusiv für Popmonitor haben Sänger JAKOB SAMUEL und Gitarrist HENRIK BERGQVIST ihre neuen Songs kommentiert…
BEFORE I DIE
This is a great opening track to us. It’s epic, suggestive, and moving. The lyrics are quite clear: it’s a prayer for a full life, free from fear and bitterness. A strong life filled to the brim with the scents and sounds of this world. Those glimpses of wonder that fill us with hope and love, and which make us want to live, live, live. Great production and an overall great performance by everyone. What more can you ask for?
HOUSE OF CARDS
This one started with a riff and a great idea for the chorus. The song is a reflection on the times we live in. It’s easy to judge and critisize from an ivory tower, but it’s also important to recognize the frailty of our society; that we may build on shaky ground sometimes in an effort to reach our dreams.
THE GREATEST
This song came from a collaboration with Herbie Crichlow, a famous song writer from the Cheiron days, who had a song that he thought would be a perfect fit for the band. It’s a moving piece with a lot of heart and spirit, lyrically and performance-wise. It fits very well with he mood that we look for in a slow number and we are very happy with how it came out.
CRACK IN THE WALL
This is another collaboration – one which is probably familiar to fans of the band. Jonas Reingold who also co-wrote „Metal Will Stand Tall“ and „I Rule The Night“ wrote this song with Jakob. It was pretty much finished as it was demoed, Mats Valentin, our producer, just made it rock harder! Some nice middle-eastern sounding melody lines mixed in with a driving groove. Classic Poodles stuff!
(WHAT THE HELL) BABY!
This is a standout track – one that we like to include to widen the „palette“. A cool groove and a driving base line runs through the song. Very well produced and delivered.
EVERYTHING
This really is a tip from the early to the late eighties stadium rock songs, like „Shot In The Dark“ and „Living On A Prayer“. Straight, no fuss, with strong melodies and rocking guitars. The lyrics are filled with longing and enchantment; Romeo and Juliet kind of stuff. No further comparisons, however.
STOP
This is a shuffle and for those of you who have been following the band, we like to throw one of these in there once in a while. „Stop“ has references to everything from „The Beach Boys“ to „Queen“. A low key verse that rises to a wall-of-sound chorus. It’s really a love song, like so many of the great songs that we listened to when we were growing up. You gotta have a couple of love songs in there!
NEED TO BELIEVE
Well, the references are pretty clear here: 70’s rock á la Page with a stadium chorus to go. The lyrics are actually quite heavy, not very far removed from what Lemmy says at the the end of every Motorhead show: „Don’t forget us!“. To quote another great writer: We need believe that there is a way through the night and that a pale light lingers in the east. Heavy, right?
ALIVE
This is the twin of the opening track, conceptually. Never mind compulsive consumption and excessive intoxication: We’re alive! That is sooo much better than the alternative. Feel yourself breathe, sense your body and your presence on this earth. If this won’t get you going, then you need to wake up. Big Time! And what a chorus.
LIFE WITHOUT YOU
A rocker, to be sure! Great melodies and heart-wrenching emotion. A child of „Godspeed“ from our last album „Tour de Force“. Just filled with the right kind of stuff, lyrically and harmonically. A song like this has the power to change people and we’re sure it will find an audience who can draw strength and inspiration from it.
CREATOR AND BREAKER
This is also classic Poodles stuff, but in a way that is different from, for example „Crack in the wall“. Swinging, swaggering, with a clear melodic theme. Tracks like this one may be compared to „Action!“ from „Performocracy“ and „Happily Ever After“ from „Tour de Force“. These songs are born out of the same mold, but lead different lives, as your children should.
BORDERLINE
Lyrically, this is a beautiful reflection on how different walks of life are really quite similar when you look down at the bottom of the barrell. Every mother wants her children to live and prosper. This is the same for all of us, no matter where we come from. The song reflects on how we tend to judge those that we perceive to be different from ourselves, as if they somehow live by different goals and hopes from the ones we live by. The world seems to be going through some pretty drastic changes at the moment and we are, of course, not unaffected by these. Musically, this a trip down the rabbit hole, with jangling rythms and strutting guitars to complement the awesome vocal performance. Listen and believe!
THE POODLES
Devil In The Details
(Gain)
VÖ: 25.03.2015
