Jono Media/Liljegren Records
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by Craig Hartranft, 01.10.2011
Swedish quintent bob K musical intentions are quite clear on their second release Fragile: hooking into grandiose and atmospheric sound of modern rock that makes the like of Muse famous. Hear Muse, Coldplay and, possibly, the pretentious, scarf bearing, art rock of Denmark's Mew in this work and you may have a sonic image. In their foundations may be U2 and, if daring to say, some Peter Gabriel, but that might be stretch as Gabriel never seemed this bombastic or accessible to me.
And by accessible, I don't mean the visible groove and hooks of traditional melodic rock either. With possible exception of RWD or Coma, which add some rock punch, the songs of Fragile are swarmy arrangements with layers upon layers of synths, piano, guitar chords, riffs, and rhythms. Atmosphere, like layers of a Royal wedding cake, seems to rule the day here. There's the lilting air and grand ambition of Broken Dreams and heavy many crashing waves of RWD. Often they intersect as on Save Me and Stalker, with many songs building on deliberate, but subtle, quietness only to end in cresendo. Cuing equally immense lights and stage, I could see these songs, and bob K, awakening the night with light and shuddering power. The audience at once leaping, skipping, and dancing in choreographed and responsive frenzy.
Does all this make bob K's Fragile significant entertainment? Remembering the aforementioned context and their peers, bob K is dead on. Fragile, while internally predictable, is well done, and disturbingly addictive.
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While internally predictable, and comparable to Muse, Mew, or Coldplay, bob K's Fragile is well done modern melodic alt rock, and disturbingly addictive.
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