The Drowners-Is There Something on Your Mind?

This is an album I picked up because a power pop blog I read told me to. I'd link to it if I remembered which one it was. Anyway, I happen to be a big fan of power pop, and an especially big fan of the power pop that has come out of Sweden (The Merrymakers, The Wannadies, etc.).

The Drowners come from Sweden and they make power pop, which makes them a perfect fit for my musical palate. Until recently, I had only heard the title track on this album. For some reason I was acquiring large amounts of new music when I bought this album and it got lost in the shuffle. When I finally sat down and listened to the rest of it, I was thoroughly impressed.

I would have considered this purchase a win even if the title track was the only good song on the album because it really is quite good. Luckily enough, there are plenty of good songs on this one. That said, I don't know what it is about The Drowners that keeps me from loving them more. They lack whatever it is The Merrymakers have that makes them one of my favorite power pop acts. I guess power pop is such a specific genre and the ground rules for it are so well defined that it's a little hard to sound unique. I fault the genre more than the band.

Anyway, Is There Something on Your Mind is a nice album. I enjoyed it and will listen to it again. I recommend it to anyone who already has the collected works of Jellyfish and The Merrymakers and is still hungry for more juicy goodness.