Mando Diao - Hurricane Bar

Their reputation was making waves and igniting fiery spirits over here along time before this Swedish quartet or any of their official releases landed upon our shores. They have been hailed as being a funkier and feistier Razorlight, resurrecting the endearingly destructive spirit of a long faded ‘Up The Bracket’ era The Libertines. Mando’s forays to the UK have not yet had anywhere near the impact many people expected, but this offering shows maturity and implies that the suave Swedes will stick around until their sound hits home.

From the outset of this fourteen track fireball of musical release that represents their UK debut album, the soaring Scandinavians really take off in ‘Cut The Rope’. This number goes back further than the above mentioned neo rock influences, as the track blends together early punk and new wave attitude and instrumentals. Also, tying in the spirit of Joe Strummer hanging onto the coat-tails of a prime time Jake Burns in the vocals Bjorn Dixard, in order to create anguish and intensity that builds up to the fervent re-iteration of the song title in a Stiff Little Fingers style chorus.

The slower and slightly more soothing previous single; ‘You Can’t Steal My Love’ illuminates a deep and earnest side to the band. Modern indie kids will be salivating at tracks like ‘Annie’s Angel’ and, to a lesser extent; ‘If I leave You’ that mixes the raw and ripping nature of Razorlight with the cutting edge catchiness of The Strokes. Mando Daio, with this offering could keep England captivated this spring and summer in the same way that fellow countryman Sven Goran Erikson has oft done in the past.

David Adair

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