There are "difficult second albums," and then there are second albums like
To Die Alone: grandiose and triumphant in every way thinkable. The spirit of knowing melodrama dominates most of the compositions on this record. The best songs -- and there really are too many to mention here -- are intense and soulful pop/rock mini-symphonies of the kind
Bruce Springsteen used to make in the mid-'70s: the grand piano pounds, the saxophone lines soar, and the dramatic string arrangements underpin Anders Wendin's wonderfully scruffy voice. Not to forget the rest of the band or producer
Jari Haapalainen, of course, who all do an excellent job. Even when
Moneybrother leaves the classic mini-epic formula, he's brilliant. The leadoff single, "They're Building Walls Around Us," is a mad upbeat pop number with disco-styled string arrangements, and "My 'Lil Girl's Straight from Heaven" is a positively wild
Thin Lizzy romp with splendid twin guitar riffs. It's hard really to find anything wrong with this album. Although more than competent enough, Wendin, of course, lacks the staggering lyrical strength of his heroes like
Springsteen and
the Clash, but then again, talent such as theirs rarely graces pop music -- it's not a valid objection. This is every bit as good as classic, soul-tinged pop/rock gets. Period. ~ Anders Kaasen