Music today is not what it used to be. As an avid lover of rock, metal, hair metal, lite-rock, reggae and jazz I look at most music with an interested eye and an open ear. That is until we come around to what I usually have a problem with, multi-instrumental bands. I have to say that I'm usually half and half about most of this stuff. I recently reviewed Hercules Love Affair and actually enjoyed it very much, which is new for me because other than Chicago and Earth Wind and Fire, I'm usually not big on big bands. I like the old school, plain and simple kinda stuff ya know? So when I talk about I’m From Barcelona’s new release Who Killed Harry Houdini? I must say that the review will not be pretty.
IFB is a very large band, around 30 plus, who is headed by the creator Emanuel Lundgren and plays Swed pop music. The feel of the music is honestly tiresome and boring throughout most of the tracks. It is very slow and just doesn’t keep, at least, my interest. With track names like “Paper Planes” (no not the M.I.A. version), “Little Ghost” and “Music Killed Me”, it gives you a feeling that the tracks might be good but sadly, no.
I know there are people out there who like this style but I just cannot get into it. It seems like if you take Panic at the Disco and mix it with the slow parts of Interpol (I like Interpol so I'm not bashing them) this is what you get. It seems much more opera like with a music style that wants to take on big band jazz like Pat Metheny but ends up being something similar to pop-emo than anything else.
They really hold back their abilities as a 30 piece large style band. It seemed fundamentally flawed with quite a bit missing from it. It sounds like they want to play more vast and larger musical numbers, yet they don’t. I don’t know if it is Lundgren playing what he wants or if they just really are that slow and honestly, boring. Either way Who Killed Harry Houdini? is an album that won’t get you into the band's music a tall. Only get this album if you’re a fan of slow orchestral music or of I’m From Barcelona. They are gifted, just not the style that many people could get swayed into.
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