Shout Out Louds - Work

There's a simpler new efficiency to the third album from Swedish indie alt/popsters Shout Out Louds, an indication coming directly from the title: Work (Merge). Part of it is attitude, peeling away any unnecessary pop clutter or bells and whistles. Part of it is a maturity and confidence that's evident in the new songs from chief creator and front man Adam Olenius, composed while holed up in his Aussie girlfriend's apartment with just a guitar, a small keyboard and his laptop. And part of it is in the choice of producer: Seattle indie mainstay Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, The Shins) -- a man known for keeping it real and keeping it all about the basics, primarily with an organic "live in the studio" feel. And yes, in case you were wondering, it does, indeed, work. And well.

Lead tracks -- the vigorous, impellent "Fall Hard" and edge-meets-hook impact of "Walls" -- reinforce this new frill-resistant Work ethic. Whatever decorative, orchestral and "space"-filling trappings that may have been employed with the band's 07 album Our Ill Wills have been pretty much eliminated and the songs have a refreshingly blunt urgency. "The whole idea for this record...was to make a more stripped down record, to lose the dramatic sound we had on the second one," Olenius reflects. "We wanted to be more relaxed in what we do." Recommended. Videos after the jump...