Shout Out Louds Our Ill Wills (Merge)

2005's Howl Howl, Gaff Gaff produced a moderate buzz for the Stockholm-based Shout Out Louds, dropping a snappier, poppier version of garage rock on our tightly belted laps. The record, equal parts Johnny Marr and Rivers Cuomo, pondered the woes of hipster heartbreak, dumb-luck sadness and singer Adam Olenius' distinctive croon simply oozed with longing and hope. That being said, Howl Howl is not at all a sad record, on the contrary, the songs remind us of pre-Pinkerton Cuomo tunes precisely because of their ability to make you dance and sing all while subtly hiding a kind of pathetic listlessness behind xylophone taps and tambourine shakes. It even succeeded at the remix -- Ratatat's version of "The Comeback" was the feel-good hit of last summer.

Their latest release, Our Ill Wills, is in many ways a likely dance partner to its predecessor, mixing the anticipated poppy 4/4 Swedish pop that listeners are waiting for all while channeling Robert Smith wails and more Marr-ish guitars. "Parents Livingroom" is a great example of the band's ability to almost rip off their British influences without ever being dismissed as simply derivative. Though the guitar flourishes could have come straight from "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side," Olenius' Cure vocal shout outs manage to make everything ok.

The album's opener, "Tonight I Have to Leave It" works similarly: strings, piano and tambourine push all the right buttons as the song reaches its climax, and all we notice is sweet-sounding pop. "Normandie" might as well have been on The Head on the Door, fixating on "In Between Days"' persistent drumming and lilting synthesizers driving one of the saddest songs you've ever heard, quite happily. These songs sound familiar, sure, and it's not too hard to identify the influences, but there's nothing wrong with that. After all, pop music as a genre depends upon this kind of transubstantiation. The band is clearly aware of all this, having recorded a song called "Please Please Please" on their first album, and "Meat is Murder" (not a cover) on this most recent offering.

The way Rivers Cuomo and Morrissey boo-hooed about love, life and their own awkwardness, specializing in sarcastic intimations about their personal insecurities and fears, Olenius steps into the fray with equal lyrical talent and a voice that fluctuates between frail and confident. He's at his strongest point vocally as he wails, "Your love is impossible!" Later in the same song ("Impossible"), however, he almost whispers, "Let's not fall back to sleep like we used to / I don't want to wake up knowing I don't have a future." Ouch, Adam.

The big difference between this record and their debut full-length, however, is the presentation. Howl's lo-fi feel, its simple and straight-forward arrangements were great, but Our Ill Wills offers a much cleaner, well-groomed collection of songs. For some, this will be a deal-breaker. The youthful energy that accompanied Howl was attractive, engaging and definitely charming (who wouldn't be taken in by a more elegant and sensitive Jason Schwartzman-like singer and a ridiculously hot Swedish gal on keys banging out songs like "Wish I Was Dead"?), but we'll happily welcome the sophomore polish.

Did we mention the album art is the band's name and record title spelled out in maritime signal flags? Because they spelled their name and record title in maritime signal flags, and that's awesome.

Shout Out Louds "Tonight I Have to Leave It" (YouTube)

Shout Out Louds [MySpace] [Official]

Photo courtesy Malarky

We also recommend: Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam, Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True reissue, Eulogies' Eulogies, Figurines' When the Deer Wore Blue and The Go! Team's Proof of Youth.

50 Cent: Curtis
Adrian Orange and Her Band: Adrian Orange and Her Band
Andrew Jackson Jihad: People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World
Ani DiFranco: Canon
Animal Collective: Strawberry Jam
Animal Collective: Peacebone
Ann Wilson: Hope & Glory
Axe Riverboy: Tu Tu to Tango
Black Francis: Bluefinger
Black Lips: Good Bad Not Evil
Bomb the Music Industry!: Get Warmer
Charlemagne: We Can Build an Island
Cloud Cult: Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus
C.O.C.O.: Play Drums + Bass
Deadly Syndrome: The Ortolan
Dirty Projectors: Rise Above
Elvis Costello: My Aim Is True
Emma Pollock: Watch The Fireworks
Eulogies: Eulogies
Figurines: When the Deer Wore Blue
Film School: Hideout
Ghostland Observatory: Paparazzi Lightning
The Go! Team: Proof Of Youth
The Good Life: Help Wanted Nights
Grand National: A Drink And A Quick Decision
Greyskul: Bloody Radio
Hot Hot Heat: Happiness Ltd
The Hot Toddies: Smell the Mitten
Japanther: Skuffed Up My Huffy
Joan Osborne: Christmas Means Love
Joe Henry: Civilians
June Panic: Songs from Purgatory
Jonathan Rice: Further North
Jupiter Rising: Electropop
Kanye West: Graduation
Lou Reed: Metal Machine Music
Mike Segeer: Early Southern Guitar Sounds
Mono: Gone: A Collection of EP's 2000-2007
Oakley Hall: I'll Follow You
Picastro: Whore Luck
Pinback: Autumn Of The Seraphs
Pink Floyd: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Qui: Love's Miracle
Shout Out Louds: Our Ill Wills
Simian Mobile Disco: Attack Decay Sustain Release
Taken By Trees: Open Field
Various Artists: Across the Universe
Various Artists: Grey's Anatomy, Original Soundtrack 3
Various Artists: Grey's Anatomy Volumes 1-3 Box Set
Various Artists: I'm Beginning to See the Light
Various Artists: Little Darla Has a Treat for You, Vol. 25: Endless Summer Edition
Various Artists: Monster Ballads: Xmas
Various Artists: Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Christmas Rock Classics
Various Artists: Sowing the Seeds: The 10th Anniversary -- Appleseed Recordings
Various Artists: String Quartet Tribute to H.I.M.
Various Artists: String Quartet Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins
Various Artists: The War: A Ken Burns Film
Vic Chesnutt: North Star Deserter
White Stripes: You Don't Know What Love Is
Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth