Sleepy Swedish lullabyes The Perishers - Let There Be Morning (Nettwerk Productions) 2 1/2 stars (out of 5 stars) Reviewed: July 12, 2005

Review by Tony Bonyata

For those who thought that Sweden only produced chocolates, girlie mags and big, bad garage rock bands, such as The Hives, Soundtrack of Our Lives, Saraha Hotnights and Division of Laura Lee, there is something else out there - at least musically speaking.
The Perishers are an indie-rock quartet from a small Swedish town where the winters are very cold, long and dark. As singer / guitarist Ola Kluft admits, "When you're happy, you don't have the time to write music because you're doing something else. When you're a little bit low and it's cold outside, that's when the inspiration comes." And on The Perishers' American debut Let There Be Morning this sense of isolation, loneliness and melancholy permeates throughout.
On the bright side, the music that unfolds on this ten-song collection is soothing, lovely and lush; conjuring up images of Coldplay, Keene and Starsailor at their mellowest and most introspective. On the negative, however, the non-evasive vocals, light and airy arrangements, familiar shoegazing melodies and overall one-dimensionality won't stick with you any longer than that Starbucks double latte you had while listening to this middle-of-the-road indie-rock record.
While songs such as "Reminder," "Nothing Like You & I" and closing title track are all pretty and warm; they'll also, undoubtedly, find you pleasantly nodding off in the middle of them.
Although the album's title finds the band wishing for morning, the music offered here actually does very little to persuade you to leave the comfy confines of your bed to start the day.