The Lion's Roar

GREAT start to day 1 of this new project. This scratches the Mumford and Sons/Edward Sharpe itch for me. I know some people hate stuff like this but it is 100% the exact thing I love.

The folk album the people needed but didn't deserve.

Lovely folk music.

9/10. This was really pretty.

Delightful Americana via Sweden featuring some of the finest contemporaries we have to offer from the US catalog folk monsters

"Emmylou" is the star of the show, but several gems. A duo that consistently makes very good albums. The harmonies are knockout!

Man, I love First Aid Kit but to be honest I kind of forgot about them! So I was really happy when this came up. A great opportunity to revisit their beautiful music and harmonies. 4 stars.

When this came out it took indie folk by storm, probably as an introduction to most folks. At the time I would have likely rated this a 4, but over time it has lost it's staying power for me. It's still "good" but a bit too one-dimensional and feels like it's missing something... I'm not sure.

More Norwegian country/folk with the signers sounding remarkably like they came out of the American Midwest. An enjoyable listen, though the lyrics came across a little clunky for me.

Un bon album, folk pop. Ca suit bien le style de ce type de groupe. Ma conjointe est fan j'ai enregistré pour elle. Merci de la suggestion. 3.85

Neat indie folk, but I appreciated this more as individual songs over a full album ride

A cool Swedish folk rock record from one of those under-the-radar bands that it's always good to rediscover from time to time

One of those albums where a look at the cover tells you EXACTLY what you're in for. It's a "fuck no" from me, but at least it was honest about it. 2/5.

Now it's possible to add carillon to the verbal impression of First Aid Kit. The Lion's Roar is mighty melancholy; I remember seeing a live performance of Emmylou, must have viewed it from Utah, but not with that emotion. Clearly, sadness can be generative. Blue, following, is on the nose lyrically, music nearly saccharine.

Great album. Thanks for suggesting

Yeah, nice soft folksy stuff. Good addition.

A very underestimated band.

At certain points, ethereally gorgeous. I think the record stumbles around the midway point ("Blue", specifically) and never quite recovers, though the latter half is good, just not as great as the first three tracks. Call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "The Lion's Roar", "Emmylou"

Didn't know they were from Sweden. Typically not the country you'd expect to produce a country-folkish duo with (at least to me) pretty convincing Southern US accents. (I'm not from either of these countries so I'm probably way off on both my observations). Overall I'm not the biggest country and folk fan, but this I can actually appreciate. Lovely harmonies.

Nice sound en folky vibe. I liked it.

Solid record. Even though its not my personal taste, it could have been on the list easily

I'm not much of a folkie so this is largely lost on me.

Considering that I don't like folk I was pleasantly surprised, I didn't love it, but pleasantly surprised.

Stunning

I’ve never heard of this Swedish duo, and my expectations for such an album were nothing like what was delivered. Fortunately, the reality is also a really fantastic album that I’m glad to have in my library. Wow!

Oh my goodness. So good! Thank you!

Simply a delight!

Sweden? Hell yeah, Sweden! Beautiful songs, beautiful harmonies, beautiful instrumental arrangements. I would be happy to just keep listening to this one all week.

Well this is an instant 5 stars from me. I've loved First Aid Kid for many years now and when I saw them live in 2023 I was right on the barricade. What's more to say? Fantastic Swedish folk music. Love this band a ton. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. I'd personally love to have it and given how much dross there is, this would be a good addition.

For a duo that sounds like lambs, they have the lion's roar.

Indie folk, Americana. Recorded in Omaha Nebraska... but they are a Swedish duo. Their voices can be overwhelming at times, but overall the album is a very nice listen. Never heard of them before and I might get to know some more of their other works. Standouts: The Lion's Roar, Emmylou, This Old Routine, King of the World Rating: 4

My goodness this is lovely, one of my favorite user submitted albums so far. Earthy and dreamy, with gorgeous harmonies and abundant charm. I didn't spend nearly enough time with this today, but I am definitely coming back to it. Thanks for recommending this. Fave Songs: Emmylou, In the Hearts of Men, The Lion's Roar, I Found a Way, King of the World, Dance to Another Tune

This is a great album that incorporates indie folk into a more explicitly Americana base. There are also touches of British folk revival and outlaw country. The result is a lush and beautiful album helmed by two strong voices.

Really compelling singer-songwriter album that starts out huge... Lion's Roar and Emmylou are strong and engaging. There's a few other gems along the way, like To a Poet, but it suffers a bit from being very samey by the time you get to the end. Promising and approachable.

A Swedish folk duo comprising two sisters. Really lovely, atmospheric, evocative, contemplative story telling, with a slightly sad vibe and great harmonies. Very scandi. My first reaction is I really, really, like it. Rating: 4.5 Playlist track: Emmylou Date listened: 16/09/24

Okay Sweden, welcome to the party! I know y'all have ABBA out there representing for the Nordic countries on the original list, and they are fabulous, but it's nice to hear something else that represents Sweden in the new century. I'm into it. Great songwriting and musicianship on display.

Sweet indie ❄️

Great modern folk album, should definitely be on the list.

Good folk album

Sweetly sung and sounding very Nashville without much hint of Scandinavian background. Slightly more folk than country. Gentle.

For country folk, which was statistically one of my least favourite genres in the book, this is decent. Give me a summers day and some greenery and my bike and I'll chill along to this nicely.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: In the hearts of men, King of the world

Indie folk, Americana. Ni fu ni fa.

A bit twangy and folky. Pretty easy to listen to. However, not something that I'd listen to on a regular basis since it's somewhat melancholic. Worth listening to, however.

It is a nice album

These gals are from the wrong country

Pretty good album. Wouldn't have been able to guess that they were Swedish, that's how well they nailed the Americana folk sound. Didn't really wow me but it was a solid ride all the way through. Favorite tracks: The Lion's Roar, Emmylou (Harris?), To a Poet. Album art: A couple of wispy Swedish women wading through a field. Big siren energy. 3.5/5

Great folk album! Felt a little repetitive at moments but the vibe was great and a perfect thanksgiving esque album. Very fall very Swedish.

This is a solid folk album by two ladies who understand the sound and what it takes to make a cohesive folk album. Simple and expressive while having somewhat deeper lyrics. Overall a good easy listen. 6.5/10

It's an ok album. Nothing to get excided about.

Real nice

The Lion's Roar is a nice enough sound, very chilled dreamy folksy stuff, vocals are endearing and engaging with emotion and feeling, but the whole thing is a little too one-paced for me. Solid 3/5, don't mind it, just not something I get excited about.

Another solid country-tinged folk album - this one with gorgeous harmonies and a Conor Oberst jumpscare on the last song - that was really nice to listen to but just didn’t really stick with me

Good modern folk music. Definitely didn’t have a Swedish vibe to me though. Just assumed that they’re from the same place as Haley heynderickxs

"What's this borefest dross?" my partner went out when I played this album on the Hi-Fi. She's French, as I am, so it's a somewhat imprecise -- and less rude -- translation of the words actually uttered. But you get the picture, I guess... Right after this... appraisal, a conversation about what makes a good folk album followed. The gist of it was that *some* contemporary country-folk albums are way too clean-sounding to make you feel strong emotions, contrary to the Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons or June / Johnny Cash of the past (aptly refered to in the admittedly impressive second track of this LP). That clinical cleanliness is a flaw that can even be found in Fleet Foxes, mind you (a flaw that's easily redeemed by the quality of their compositions and heartfelt performances). And it's also evidently found in that Devendra Banhart / Coco Rosie wave of noughts "vintage" revival in that style (not so easily redeemed in my book). All those acts (along with the golden age names) are obvious influences for this Swedish duo, who actually made a name for themselves by posting a Fleet Foxes cover on You Tube. Sister Johanna and Klara obviously have the vocal chops to produce the technically pristine harmonies serving those sorts of tunes right. But do they have the flame? A quick aside: not all contemporary folk albums have this glossy sheen preventing more authentic-sounding tones to surge. Women artists such as Adrianne Lenker or Jessica Pratt are the Karen Dalton and Emmylou Harris of today. Plus, they write their own songs, just like Joni Mitchell or Judee Sill did. Sure, First Aid Kit do too. But it looks like they don't take much risks in their songwriting craft, generally speaking. Except with some of their lyrics, which are a little too on the nose or "flat", with the same "I need you, I love you" bags of tricks used from one song to the next. Not exactly the sort of risk that's an asset in the long run... And since the music 'plays it safe' anyway... Hereby lies the difference between a real wooden shack in Montana or Georgia -- a little messy inside, but displaying soul and life -- and a Starbucks Coffee rendition of it, folks! In spite of my cruel words up here, I will be less harsh than my partner in my final assessment of this album (she's always a little more severe for female performers, ha ha). That thing is a little quaint and perfunctory, but it's not horrible. Maybe the fact that First Aid Kit routinely favor the same notes for their vocal harmonies quickly wore my better half out as well, I don't know. If that's the case, she *does* have a point there too, I think. Those songs are probably better to listen to in single sittings (or in a playlist) than through an album format released by a single act / artist -- which, for me, is a very important factor to take into account for a list such as this one. Cuts such as "The Lion's Roar", "Emmylou", "This Old Routine" are surely worth a detour. Most of the rest isn't, but that doesn't make the record "bad" per se. It's not thrilling but it's pleasant at least. More like a timid "meow" than a "lion's roar". But who doesn't enjoy stroking a cat's pelt once in a while? Oh yeah, cats haters! Oddly enough, both my partner and I are cats lovers. Guess some cats (or kittens) have more personality than others... 🤷 3/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 8/10 for more general purposes. ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 3 Albums from the users list I *might* include in mine later on: 6 Albums from the users list I won't include in mine: 5 (including this one)

This LP is well-executed instrumentally and organizationally, with some great Americana singer-songwriter instrumentation and compositions. That being said, this is one of my least favorite genres, and while it's perhaps a stellar treatment of the material there's just no accounting for taste.

TLDR

I couldn't find the appeal myself. Sounds a lot like any other alt-country Americana type thing.

Indie whining