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Under The RadarDear John is Svanangen’s true masterpiece. [Winter 2009]
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Dear John shows that Svanangen has really gotten his act together; it makes good on all the tremulous, tender, wistful promise of his debut.
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Its tools are exceedingly familiar, but the results aren’t--don’t think Loney, Dear’s latest direction has been cribbed from anywhere. Let it sink in, and Loney, Dear soon whispers/sings/shouts out. This one’s worth hearing.
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The melodies are exquisite, and with each verse he surrounds them with more and more parts, creating pop crescendos of dizzying ingenuity.
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It’s lovely and streamlined, the musical equivalent of a Saab.
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Loney Dear’s latest, Dear John, is an endearing slice of small sigh indie-pop, well ornamented and too cute by half.
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What makes Dear John stronger than last year's Loney, Noir, then, is Svananen's ability to compensate for his shortcomings with arrangements that reference his disparate influences
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Yet it is the span of moods, paired with the elaborate arrangements, which reveal something new with every listen, that make Dear John an album worth persevering with.
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Alternative PressDear John rewards the attentive listener with complexities crafted by a Swedish pop masermind; just don't mediate on the lyrics for comfort after an emotional breakup. [Mar 2009, p.106]
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Dear John is more or less all about getting dumped, blending hymnal keyboards, tender strings and pained vocals.
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Svanangen reverts to a simpler, sadder approach. His initial cheer unexpectedly falls away into an introspective trance. Dear John is no worse for it. Sometimes you have to clear the air. It's liberating, if done right.
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It's Svanangen's record in miniature: It preserves what was fleetingly great about Loney, Noir while proving that Svanangen has more tricks in his bag than most people thought possible.
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Loney Dear's gauzy pop can be entrancing, but it's also incredibly easy to tune out: Let your mind wander, and the Swedish act's latest goes full blur.
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Despite a few hiccups, Loney, Dear is one of Sweden’s best exports.
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Dear John is a definite step in the right direction.
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UncutThis is a bold howl for attention from the backwoods of folktronica. [Apr 2009, p.89]
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Q MagazineDear John is the album he's been gradually building up to, an ebbing and flowing suite best taken as a single musical movement. [Apr 2009, p.107]
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There are definite up moments in Dear John, but the odd mix of Svanängen's meandering melodies and melancholic vocals mixed with the bizarre samples and synths makes for a concoction that will either be adored or thrown out of a window in disgust.
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Under The RadarWhere "Loney, Noir" held together, Dear John is more of a patchwork. [Winter 2009]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 9
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Mixed: 0 out of 9
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Negative: 2 out of 9
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PaulH.Aug 15, 2009
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SashaJ.Jul 21, 2009Excellent. Traces of everything I hold dear in pop since the 80s- granddaddy, sufjan stevens, dm stith, even hot chip.