39 Minutes of Bliss in an Otherwise Meaningless World

The evidence is fast becoming clear: subject a nation to a litany of useless pop/disco fodder for long enough (Roxette, Ace Of Base) and it’ll kick off somewhere down the line. Academics take note: trademarks of the Swedish music scene’s reaction to national embarrassment appear to include a reverent nod to the likes of The Stooges, Make Up and Nation Of Ulysses, surprisingly spiky tunes and an idiosyncratic, tongue-in-cheek nod to ’60s and ’70s garage rock.

Caesar’s comparisons to fellow countrymen The Hives are inevitable, if only for sartorial reasons. One look at the album cover suggests that the head-to-toe-black look (worn while performing in various states of frenzy) is de rigeur in these parts. As for the actual sounds, ‘Jerk It Up’ is hardly an exercise in originality (in fact, anyone missing the Inspiral Carpets will be downright delighted), yet it’s a tune that’s impossible to listen to without a tap of the foot, if not a wholehearted arse wiggle.

Cross references to ’60s rock’n’roll, ’70s garage and ’90s indie-schmindie are plentiful, and alas, it’s impossible to conclude that they’re really breaking any new ground with this album.

Not so much 39 Minutes Of Bliss as 38 minutes and two seconds that will keep your hunger at bay until the next Strokes/Hives/White Stripes offerings appear.