The Dahlmanns - American Heartbeat

Well this is just about the best idea ever! Take two of the all-time greats in Swedish rock n' roll in Bjôrne Frôberg (The Nomads) and Chips Kiesby (Sator). Have them write a mini-album together. And then get the almighty Dahlmanns to record it! That's essentially the story behind American Heartbeat. In name, it's a Dahlmanns record. In essence, it's the collaborative effort of a power pop dream team. I suppose that sets a very high bar for American Heartbeat, but of course it lives up to those expectations and then some!

Given that we usually get new music from The Dahlmanns in very small doses, six new songs at once feels like a tremendous gift. Frôberg and Kiesby have written a cohesive set of songs about the pain of lost love, and Line Dahlmann sure is the perfect person to sing them! She can inject a tune with the purest melancholy, and then she can turn around and and make a bummer love song sound totally upbeat. The result is a great mix of tender tearjerkers ("I Know You Want Me Back") and straight-up rockers ("Get It Right"). And then there's the title track, which is nothing short of power pop perfection. Of course the songwriting shines here, but the guitar work, arrangements, and production are equally majestic.

As always, The Dahlmanns leave us wanting more. But with a little help from their friends, they've given us a little more to chew on this time. Whether you're a fan of The Dahlmanns, Nomads, Sator, or (most likely) all of the above, American Heartbeat will fill you with delight. Get the vinyl from Beluga Records!



 -L.R.

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