Better late than never...

The Sounds played and adrenaline-pumping, sweat-inducing show Friday, October 9 at La Zona Rosa, performing a perfect mix of songs from their new album "Crossing the Rubicon" (2009) and their first two albums "Living in America" (2002) and "Dying to Say This to You" (2006).


The Sounds (consisting of Maja Ivarrson on lead vocals, Felix Rodriguez on guitars, Johan Bengtsson on bass, Jesper Anderberg on synthesizers/piano/guitar, and Fredrik Nilsson on drums) have a contagious energetic presence on stage, playing all songs, old and new, with the same amount of energy.

I mention this because of something I read in a review before I saw the show: that the band seemed to play their old music with much less enthusiasm than they had while playing songs from their latest album. This person ultimately described the performance as "worn out," as if The Sounds were tired of playing the same songs over and over.



But that was not the case during this show. Every song, old or new, was played with the same energy, passion, and enthusiasm. The fans definitely had a lot to do with that as the band and the crowd fed off of each other's energy and excitment.

Songs performed off of their new album included the single "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake," which The Sounds gave a passionate performance of - as passionate as it feels when listening to the song from the album. They stuck mostly to the fast-paced songs from their new album, including "4 Songs & A Fight," "Dorchester Hotel," "Midnight Sun" (a bit slower), and, what I feel is a sequel to the second album's "Tony the Beat," the hit (and next video to be released) "Beatbox."

The Sounds also played a good amount of popular songs from the past albums, such as the "Dying to Say This to You" single "Painted by Numbers" (probably the song the band is most known for.) Other songs from this second album included "Tony the Beat," "Queen of Apology," "Ego," and "Hurt You."

I was slightly disappointed that the songs performed from their first album, "Living in America," did not include "Mine for Life" or "Like a Lady"...or "Seven Days A Week." However, playing my personal favorite, "Rock'n Roll," completely made up for it. Other songs performed from this album included, "Hit Me!," "Living in America," and "Hope You're Happy Now," which they ended the show with. (Kind of a strange choice to close the show with as I don't think it's one of the most popular songs, but The Sounds brought an energy to that last performance that I have not felt from the song in a while.)



The Sounds's performance at La Zona Rosa was more than a great show. It was a great experience. There wasn't a single still body in the crowd, many of those bodies dancing their hearts out (perhaps a little too much...at least the guy who spent half the show trying to get me to dance as insanely as him.) There was definitely an electricity in the air: the music was alive, penetrating everyone in the crowd and leaving them, I'm sure, with an experience that will never be forgotten.