Love Is All - Two Thousand And Ten Injuries Review

For many years I have held the personal – and somewhat nerdy – belief that most music can be described by a bell curve. Yes, I am aware that even the mere mention of the word “curve” may trigger PTSD-inducing flashbacks to that college chemistry class or statistics in general. Nonetheless, it is important to note that music and math have long been intertwined – from the widespread shunning of the devil’s tritone by classical composers (It has six “satantic” semitones) to modern mothers’ insistence on touting the marvels of the Mozart effect. Therefore, it seems reasonable that a metaphor for our relationship with new songs has a mathematical component as well. Let me explain further.

Most people have a hard time falling in love with a new song the first time they listen to it. Whether through gifted mixes or just an implicit endorsement, a friend’s musical recommendation always seems to fall short – at first. However, after just a few plays, the song that is destined to be our favorite finds a safe place in our hearts and iPod playlists alike. Unfortunately, this romance begins to unravel not so long after. The more we satisfy our insatiable craving for a particular track, the less it seems to satisfy. Eventually, we are left with a song that simply sounds good, but no longer elicits emotion.

It seems that most new music lacks instant appeal largely because we don’t know what to expect. Presented with myriad melodic motifs, the listener is easily fatigued due to lack of context. After several listens though, the structure of the song becomes apparent and the crush begins. This familiarity may sound boring as described, though it’s anything but. Knowing where a melody is heading allows us to hum along, clap our hands, and tell our chatty friends when to shut up – all while we anticipate that next great musical rush looming on the horizon. Regrettably, this well-deserved intimacy is short-lived, as one can only perch atop the curve for so long without cascading down the other side. With one’s favorite song stuck on “repeat,” predictability soon predominates and the listener is left looking for the next easy out. The love affair is over....full text With her piercing squawk, Love Is All frontwoman Josephine Olausson could be a disruptive preteen deserving of serious medication, or a stretch in after-school detention. But her aim is true on the Swedish quintet's third full-length, a fizzy, exhilarating hybrid of bubblegum pop and bratty punk. For all her seeming eccentricity, Olausson is a crafty performer whose outbursts provide vividly specific snapshots of a full-throttle life. "Early Warning," a hyperactive bad-day saga that begins "Straight out of bed / I smashed my head on a bookshelf!" is worth the price of admission, and doesn't work when discussing recorded music alone....full text After Swedish indie rockers Love Is All finished touring in support of their second album, they found themselves without a record label and therefore free to write and record whatever they felt like. They’ve ended up with a follow-up that doesn’t stray far from the compact, frenetic songs found on their previous work.


Vocalist/keyboardist Josephine Olausson’s lyrics are still kooky and everyday endearing, and her voice piercing and hyper. The five-piece ups the danceable quotient midway through, especially on The Birds Were Singing With All Their Might, which pumps with propulsive drumming.

They finally calm down on the appropriately titled final song, Take Your Time. Turns out they’re adept at sad, moody ambience. Wish they tried it a little more often....full text