The Lion’s Roar – First Aid Kit
Album Review by Jessica Klinner
Folk music has quickly become one of the most popular genres in the country with bands like Mumford and Sons, Fleet Foxes, and The Civil Wars topping the charts. After the release of their second full length album, The Lion’s Roar, Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit will soon be joining the aforementioned bands. Comprised of sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, First Aid Kit has gradually worked their way into the hearts of many folk loving, Coachella-going, hippie kinds.
In 2007, the sisters sent in their home-recorded demos to a radio station in hopes of getting air time. It wasn’t long before that request was granted. Their name began to spread when they posted a cover of Fleet Foxes “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” on YouTube. Later in the year, they were signed to Swedish record label, Rabid Records. They released their first EP entitled Drunken Trees in April of 2008. One year later, London-based Wichita Records reissued the EP adding the Fleet Foxes cover and three songs recorded in a Swedish forest to the mix. After the reissue of Drunken Trees, the Söderberg sisters began work on their first full length album, The Big Black and the Blue, which was released in 2010.
Producer and member of Bright Eyes Mike Mogis worked with the sisters to produce their second full length album, The Lion’s Roar. The first track, which shares the same name as the album, is what every opener should be: strong, charismatic, and tone setting. Although from Sweden, the Söderberg sisters say they were influenced by many American folk artists. The song “Emmylou” was named after legend Emmylou Harris. They also mention Gram Parsens, June Carter, and Johnny Cash in this love metaphor, “I’ll be your Emmylou, and I’ll be your June/ If you’ll be my Gram and my Johnny, too/ No, I’m not asking much of you/ Just sing little darlin’/ Sing with me.” The final track, “King of the World”, ends the album on a high note. Joining the duo in this song is Bright Eyes front man, Conor Oberst. Obviously, the collaboration was not hard to manage seeing as the producer, Mogis, plays in Bright Eyes. The blending of Oberst’s voice and the bone chilling harmonies of the Söderberg sisters sends a surge through your entire body.
It is easy to tell that the sophomore album has a much darker tone than the previous one. The songs are haunting and quite mesmerizing. From the moment I pressed play, I felt a sense of adventure and after the album had finished, I felt renewed and ready to take on the world. So go take a hike and explore the world, but when you do make sure this album is first on your playlist.
First Aid Kit will be touring in the United States from March 28th until April 22nd and will end their time in the States at this year’s Coachella. Be sure to check the tour dates and go out to a show near you.
Overall Rating: 3/5
Website: http://thisisfirstaidkit.com/
