Måns Wieslander's third album (his first U.S. release), 2002's
Yet is a stripped-down but not barebones affair. Most of the songs sound like they were recorded by
Wieslander on his own, but there are just enough outside touches, like the churning cello and machine-gun noise guitar on the dramatic ballad "Unsound," to keep the album from sounding too much like a bedroom four-track production. The problem is that while there are several outstanding tracks here (the aforementioned "Unsound," the lovely "I Don't Think She's Airborne," which marries a
Go-Betweens-like acoustic pop tune with appealingly rinky-dink electronic drums and whooshing synths that sound like they came from one of
New Order's earliest electronic forays, and the hazy, almost psychedelic "Roadkill" in particular), almost all of them use the same basic template of midtempo melodies and strummy acoustic guitars, making the songs sound a little more alike than they really are. The songs that break away from this style, like the almost peppy "Dizzy Normal," which has the album's most memorable chorus, sound even better in comparison, but just a little more variety would make this good album a great one. ~ Stewart Mason