With the never-ending onslaught of Tigerbeat titles in 2003, one would think that eventually there would be an end to the impressive campaign, but evidently there isn't one in sight. Naturally, the label saves one of its best for last. After a long stint on the road during the summer/autumn of 2003 as part of Tigerbeat's annual "Paws Across America/Europe" tours with labelmates
Kid 606 and
DJ /rupture,
Sodahberk wowed audiences with a blistering live set consisting of many of the tunes found on the appropriately titled
Unfortunately. On this dark exercise into the world of electronic indie pop,
Sodahberk brilliantly captures the feeling of a letdown right from the opening moments of the eponymously titled first track, and doesn't let up until the album's later moments. Exploring territory glazed upon by
Dntel and
Telefon Tel Aviv in a bit more of an upbeat light,
Sodahberk takes these themes and experiments with acoustic/electronic combinations into moodier territories. At 16 tracks, the melancholic consistency can leave a draining feeling by the record's end, but a nod of the head goes to
Sodahberk for keeping the record moving so fluidly without getting creatively tiresome. In a year when Tigerbeat was on a roll, the label most definitely saved one of the best for last. ~ Rob Theakston