THE TOUGH ALLIANCE A New Chance
There’s so much happening on the third studio album from Swedish duo The Tough Alliance that it is quite hard to define, but essentially it is a fusion of dance music and classic pop, all done with a definite Scandinavian twist. One reference point is Primal Scream’s Screamadelica, which was clearly an influence in its crossing over of indie, pop and dance. Also, while comparisons to fellow countrymen Shout Out Louds might be lazy, there is certainly the same optimism and exuberance about their output. Although The Last Dance sounds like something Shout Out Louds would have discarded without thinking twice about, First Class Riot is great, and is what Britpop might have sounded like had it originated in Sweden rather than England (Swedepop doesn’t have the same ring to it though, does it?)
Elsewhere, there are 80’s synths, loads of samples and a few singalong choruses too. But sometimes things don’t work, like the painful Miami, which sounds like a bad remix of a rubbish, generic rave tune from the late 80’s. The band’s keenness on being eclectic sometimes sends them in directions that would be best avoided, like the reggae-influenced Looking For Gold. However, A New Chance certainly has heart and, while it is nowhere near as visionary as influences KLF and Primal Scream, it should be praised for trying to do something interesting in combining sounds both current and reminiscent. The result is, in equal parts, a joyous, fresh-sounding summer album and a slightly jarring homage to the past.
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