The State of Samuel

The State of Samuel is Stockholm, Sweden's Samuel Petersson. On his second full length, "Here Comes the Flood" Petersson dives deeper into fuzzed out, Elephant 6 influenced power pop. Clocking in at under 28 minutes, it's a delightfully short, sweet affair that usually leaves me craving another spin. It's full of cheerful hand claps and ba-ba choruses that shine through the lo-fi production. His sound reminds me of Beulah's "When You Heart Strings Break", especially on album center piece, "Square Roots." If anything, the album suffers from a lack of diversity, with most songs sounding relatively similar. What does set them apart though, are little flourishes - the strings on "Who's Underground" and the trumpets on "Under the Gun" - which give each song their own identity. Have a listen.

The State of Samuel - The Residents of Gloom
The State of Samuel - Here Comes the Flood
The State of Samuel - Who's Underground?
The State of Samuel - Slow Day for the UFO's

If you like what you hear, buy the album.