Kristofer Aström & Hidden Truck
Plastered Confessions
Simba
One of Sweden’s prime singer-songwriters, Aström divides his time between his solo career and fronting punk rockers Fireside. Not that you’d be able to tell from his solo achievements, which are very calm affairs – music for broken-hearted lovers and those autumnal melancholic moments.
This six-track EP, targeting an uninitiated American audience, draws from his three solo albums and adds a previously unreleased Steve Earle cover (“Another Town”) to boost. Those already familiar with Aström will want it for the unreleased song, but everyone just mildly curious are well advised to check it out.
Aström’s casual, underachieving delivery belies his grand scope, as does his apparently stitched-together lyrics. “Don’t leave me / Stay for a while / I wanna show you how I really am.” Aström has the ability to make words like these seem all-important and profound, to have them carry a meaning way beyond the actual weight of the words. And the same holds true for his music – straightforwardly presented, but with a tone of real anguish and tired frustrations running throughout. No wonder he needs that alternative punk rock outlet of his.
Simba Recordings: http://www.simbarecordings.com/
