Genre: Swedish Pop / Powerpop
Based In...: Sweden
Label: North Of No South
Year: 1996
My Rate: 7/10
ALLMUSIC Swedish pop band Ray Wonder formed in Umea in the early '90s, comprising vocalist/guitarist Henrik Andersson (ex-Komeda), bassist Toft Stade (ex-Shredhead), drummer Per Helin (ex-Puffin), and guitarist Ludvig. It took the group two months to come up with an album's worth of material; Pele Henricsson (Stade's stepfather) offered his studio for use, and the band recorded and mixed their songs in two days. The band contemplated quitting until Helin played the recordings for his friends at North of No South Records. North of No South liked what they heard so much that they released it. That album, Hurray, was released in 1994. Two EPs and a single predated their second full-length, 1996's Good Music. After another pair of singles, A New Kind of Love, was issued in 2000.
Retro dance music styles, ska, power pop and more surfaces in a high-speed blend on Good Music. The blender is pushed to liquefy and the musical idioms are presented as quickly as they are changed. The band has a half-dozen albums under their belt. Their longevity and dedication shows in their level of achievement. Ray Wonder offers a consistent, double-quick highly practiced delivery along with a fine sense of how much they can get away with. While they hurry us along on the trip, Ray Wonder makes sure melody does not become a straggler left behind. Ray Wonder deserves kudos for satisfying both their desire for speed and their nature as adept pop craftsmen. [by Thomas Schulte]


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