Hurry Home Dark Cloud: Acid House Kings

Swedish indie pop group Acid House Kings, by the year 2002, already had two albums under their collective belt. But it wasn't until third album Mondays Are Like Tuesdays and Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays that the band honed their distinctive twee style into a cohesive mixture of delirious hand claps, sunny guitar melodies, and late night fireside lyrics.

You probably wouldn't guess that from their moniker, which admittedly recalls some obscure stoned seventies garage rock group rather than a cheery European twee band.

Though founding member Niklas Andergard provides much of the vocals, some of the best tracks are helmed by relative newcomer Julia Lannerheim. Lannerheim's assuaging voice trickles along the melody of the song like creekwater, lending an already soothing track an airy springtime feel.

"Say Yes If You Love Me" is rife with lyrics that would typically induce eye-rolling in the hands of another artist, which makes covering the work of Acid House Kings a tricky business at best. Within their artful hands, however, the track instead induces a knowing smile. It's a song that should be pegged as a one-off soundtrack single for a children's film, but it is so blissfully pleasant adults will keep it for their own.

Sing Along with Acid House Kings displays an even more dramatic creative growth for the band. Nearly every track is a standout, and as a bonus the album comes packaged with one of the most uniquely tailored companion dvds in recent memory.

Continuing the "sing along" theme the title suggests, the dvd features the band performing mundane tasks such as reading the newspaper and making coffee while a karaoke-style lyric banner assists the viewer with the sing along. Also included are a couple of promotional music videos.

With the consistently lengthy period between albums and many of its members extending themselves into outside projects, such as the excellent Club 8, it's unlikely we will hear from Acid House Kings until somewhere deep into 2008. The last post on their website, dated eight months ago, suggests just that.

Until then, we will wait anxiously. . .