Released under the moniker Citizen Bird by Stinky Records in the United States, where the band is under threat of lawsuit by the rap artist
Silverbullit, this second album from the Swedish band (known as
Silverbullit everywhere else in the world) is a stunning mix of the Stooges' aggression and the epic bombast of
Spiritualized. Guitarist Simon Ohlsson sings in English because, as he puts it, it is the "language of rock & roll." With influences as diverse as
Joy Division,
Ride, and Commodore 64; four-track; and SID game music,
Silverbullit creates a noisy, engaging sound similar to countymates
Union Carbide Productions and
Soundtrack of Our Lives. The uplifting track "Joy" sounds like a lost
Jason Pierce composition. "Money" plays with
Sigur Rós-style atmospherics that tip a hat to the psychedelia of
Pink Floyd. "This Is the Place" likewise employs an electronica-derived keyboard drone that spirals the song into another dimension. In the end,
Citizen Bird blurs various genres into a work with both the raw power of rock and the floating-in-space head trip of shoegazer music and post-rock. ~ Charles Spano