Proof you’ll never know about every band out there, Sweden’s Last Days of April has been releasing well-received records for nearly 20 years yet Sea of Clouds is the first time I’d heard of them. Time to correct that oversight.
The band’s latest is a languid, organic album that flows unhurried, similar to Sky Blue Sky era Wilco. Each meticulously crafted song glides along a current you can’t help but join along. Slide guitar is featured prominently but the other individual instruments blend in seamlessly with lead singer/songwriter Karl Larsson’s plaintive but effective voice.
The title track is especially good, as is The Thunder and Storm. Sea of Clouds is restrained, at times melancholy, but never less than compelling. Give it a listen. The album hits officially on June 23.