The Shout Out Louds hail from Stockholm, a place fairly well known for its music scene, third only to the United States and Great Britain. Sweden is responsible for crafting, over the past four or five decades, distinct sounds in the music industry that are now associated with the country: ranging from the folk/polka days of the generation before ours to the pop sound of ABBA, Ace Of Base, and others and more recent heavy metal influences and rock sounds, such as The Hives.

Despite their roots holding firm in a country complete with its own clear and individual sound Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, produced and mixed by one of Sweden’s most wanted producers, Ronald Bood, who has worked with The Plan, Mandi Diao and Keane, along with the input and work of others, opens with the emo-infused lyrics and light summertime pop reminiscent of the modern Los Angeles folk-inspired indie-scene. The drawling guitar on “The Comeback” evokes memories of Jenny Lewis and Co.’s sophomore release The Execution Of All Things.

The most obvious difference between Howl and anything released by Rilo Kiley and other self-declared indie counterparts is that the Shout Out Louds don’t stress their pseudo-intellect with meaningless song titles and overblown, dramatic photo-shoots complete with outfits that make it seem as though the band writes and performs for the scene: the Shout Out Louds are in this for the music and it is there they express the attitude and feelings illustrative of the scene they have been tossed into, indie pop. For example, the lyrics in “Please Please Please” are draining and dim until singer Adam croons, with a sense of optimism, “but we’re all happy ‘cause the streets they’re always there for us and it’s quite scary when you wake up in the same old clubs.”

The majority of Howl Howl Gaff Gaff is comprised of various singles released since the band was formed four years ago, which is perhaps the reason it is good throughout. Nonetheless, this method of picking and choosing already hit songs is still respectable and the album is different and exciting with each passing track until the very end. When the needle strikes the penultimate track of “Shut Your Eyes” we immediately recall the bubbly bass line and rapid tempo of previous songs; the emotion goaded by these Swedes wears off in the last few minutes and we are left with an album that doesn’t end fitting the same standard it sets for itself in the opening tracks.

All in all, the debut album from the Shout Out Louds is better than most. While the majority of the lyrics are transparent and unimaginative, they are arranged brilliantly and possess a melody that drives relentlessly through the entire track list…almost.

Highlights: “The Comeback” and “Please Please Please”