Caesars
(Astralwerks)
The Caesars were already an underground phenomenon in their native Sweden for a half dozen years before Apple tapped the quartet’s propulsive and infectious “Jerk It Out” for their 2005 iPod campaign. Almost overnight, the band’s stock rose to international proportions, along with expectations for the follow-up. This is a pretty cagy bunch of Swedes, though; they wisely allowed the buzz from “Jerk It Out” to play out from the 2003 release of 39 Minutes of Bliss (the Astralwerks compilation culled from the band’s Swedish releases) to the 2005 issue of Paper Tiger (featuring a remixed spin on “Jerk”).
The Caesars have not been dormant in the three years since “Jerk It Out” exponentially raised their profile. The band has been involved in numerous side project, perhaps none bigger than Jocke Ahlund’s all star Teddybears, whose Iggy Pop-fronted “Punkrocker” soundtracked a high profile Cadillac spot of its own (it seems that the Caesars are singlehandedly proving the adage that TV is the new radio).
For Strawberry Weed, the latest Caesars offering, the band hit the studio with Soundtrack of Our Lives frontman Ebbot Lundberg with the intention of recreating the stripped down grit of their cherished ’60s influences. Combining the visceral garage rock shamble and raging R&B obsession of the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who and the Pretty Things with a timeless pop melodicism that nods to every subsequent generation, the Caesars manage to craft a fan base out of four decades worth of music listeners. When they drench their sound in waves of soul-slashing Farfisa organ (“No Tomorrow,” “Up All Night”), they potentially appeal to everyone from “96 Tears”-era boomers to new wave ravers. And when they keep their focus on straightforward R&B-to-pop translations (“Fool’s Parade,” “Waking Up,” “Turn It Off”), they exude a vibe that attracted middle aged rockers to Who singles in 1965 and their children to Guided By Voices cassettes in 1985.
With their catalog in general and with Strawberry Weed specifically, the Caesars have succeeded spectacularly because they so deeply understand the past and its rightful place in the future.
Standout Tracks: “Up All Night,” “Turn It Off” BRIAN BAKER
